True Parallels
by TheNameUGiveMe
Summary: This is a continuation of Sovereign Shapes. Characters from Tenchi Muyo, Desert Punk, two Saiyins, and a host of other people come together in this cluster of a story. The usual romance also continues. Rated T-M.
1. Normality Returns

**Greetings humans! For those who have read my previous stories thank you very much and**

** for those who have not and are first time readers, welcome! This next story is a continuation**

** of my last story "Sovereign Shapes." If you haven't read it or "Premonitions of a Firefight" **

**yet check it out for better understanding. "Sovereign Shapes" is 8 chapters and takes maybe**

** 30 min to read tops. Once again characters of Tenchi Muyo, Trigun, and Desert Punk belong**

** to their creators. If you see a name you are unfamiliar with and you are thinking "I am 12**

** years old and what is this?" then he or she is probably my character. And speaking of **

**characters, I'm taking a unique route in this next story. A fellow user named "Russbuster" has**

** given me permission to use characters from his story in mine. His story also included Tenchi Muyo**

** characters. Go to his page and read "No Need for Dragonballs." The storyline is beyond superb **

**and I personally think it should become its own anime movie. I will point out his characters at the**

** end of the chapter when they are introduced. There will be some slight alterations so my story**

** can fit with his but for the most part everything will remain the same. With that, a very special**

** thanks to Russbuster and now for our featured presentation. **

**TRUE PARELLELS**

**Chapter 1**

There was a firm audible voice present; almost hypnotizing to him, but no clear words were received.

His vision became more like that of a long tunnel not focusing on anything around him. Thoughts of an

unknown elation came about him. "Soon" he kept on saying to himself in his mind. The pencil he was

playing with in his right hand fell to the floor but the fact hadn't crossed his mind. Just the one thought

lingering. The same voice he thought he was listening to was in repetition; uttering the same muffled

sound for about ten seconds. It was just enough to make him focus slightly until he noticed out of his

peripherals the line of people to his left were all eyeing him. He became nervous. Then to his right the

same situation. His nervousness grew. Now looking straight ahead he finally realized the muffled voice

was his own named being called.

**Morien**: "Riche! Are you there, buddy?" (Pronounced "Rike")

Riche shuddered at the sound of his own named being called but soon his conscience brought him to

the present time.

**Riche**: "I'm sorry professor"

**Morien**: "I understand school is almost out for the summer. I need all of you to pay attention for just

a little while longer. You can do that for me right?"

Riche nodded in confirmation. Morien gave a smile then returned to his lesson. Nazi Germany was not

an easy subject to discuss in Hamburg or any other German city but not being a native German made it

that much easier for Morien Eeham; high school and college professor of History in Hamburg. Being a half

Puerto Rican and half Russian individual made him quite the oddity among the other professors but they

quickly accepted it and life continued. The uniqueness does not stop there, however. Most classrooms

have posters relevant to what the subject is being taught. Morien opted for music posters of bands he

liked. Leading officials did not like the idea at first but the students loved the idea and the posters remained.

Of course, everyone else was well aware of Morien's accomplishment during the Windy City Campaign where

he, along with two other men, given the aliases Desert Punk and Vash the Stampede, thwarted an attempt

in world conquest with weapons from Desert Punk's time. They fully knew of his augmented state, giving him

the nickname 'Guardian of Earth' which he loathed but kept quiet about it. An attack from a terrorist group

called INSF inadvertently gave Morien highly superhuman strength without the brainwash that was typical

upon exposure to the mysterious gaseous elements used against him and the people around him who did

not survive. To Morien's surprise mostly everyone played it off as if nothing happened which brought major relief.

With the hour almost reaching the end of the school day Morien kept an eye on the clock in the back of the

room. Several students who caught his eyes gazing back also looked back. He was just as ready as they

were to leave. A hand was raised from the front row.

**Morien**: "Yes, Juturna"

**Juturna**: "If Hitler used the occult to help him gain power then why did he have them all killed?"

**Morien**: "Because he didn't want anyone else to use them to find a way to defeat him. When he saw

that their predictions became reality he became paranoid and decided to exterminate what he thought

were enemies of his regime; the occult, gypsies, Jews, gays, and NASCAR drivers"

**Juturna**: "Wait…what?"

**Morien**: "Nothing"

**Juturna**: "Oh"

The sound of pencils writing on paper filled the room as the class took notes.

**Morien**: "If there are no more questions then just remain here until the bell sounds"

Once finished writing the students talked among themselves. Morien sat down at his desk looking at

his class. Everyone was engaged in some conversation. No one was keeping to themselves. He liked

the fact everyone got along and that there was not a supremacy complex or caste system separating

students. The bell sounded. A small cheer was let out as the majority of the students left the classroom.

A few students who had additional questions stayed behind. The last one in line was Riche. Once the

second to last student left he spoke.

**Riche**: "Sorry about earlier. What did I miss in the last segment?"

**Morien**: "Basically know that Hitler was involved in the occult which he used to gain power. Guaranteed

there will be an essay question referring to that on the final"

Riche wrote this down in his green notebook. When finished he stayed in the same spot.

**Morien**: "Was there anything else?"

Riche stood for a few moments.

**Riche**: "Do you mind talking about your…well…power?"

**Morien**: "Uhh…I guess not. What do you want to know?"

**Riche**: "You never really talk about it and I'm a bit curious as are a few fanboys and girls out there"

**Morien**: "Fanboys and girls? You mean like a fanclub?"

**Riche**: "Yes actually"

Morien sweatdrops.

**Morien**: "I'm not sure how I feel about that"

**Riche**: "Don't worry. It's not creepy. We just all think its cool how there is a real superhero on earth now

and unlike the movies he does not disguise himself. He's just a mild-mannered professor right here in

Germany"

Morien gave a smile of appreciation.

**Morien**: "So what would you like to know?"

**Riche**: "Do you feel any different now than you did before you became a hero?"

**Morien**: "First of all, please don't take any offense but I'm not a hero. Like you said I'm just a professor.

And secondly, I don't feel any different at all. I never go to the gym anymore because no amount of weights

there will benefit me at all. I've learned to control my strength which is good because I can at least do all

my favorite hobbies"

**Riche**: "Like playing the guitar, right?"

**Morien**: "Exactly"

**Riche**: "You really should have joined Professor Lorenz before he went into Rammstein"

**Morien**: "Nah. But I still can't believe the fame they have achieved. Already a platinum album. I never

would have guessed"

**Riche**: "Do you still keep in contact?"

**Morien**: "It has become more difficult but yeah. From time to time he'll answer my emails. Maybe one of

these days I'll meet the rest of his band"

**Riche**: "This event they call the Windy City Campaign…what exactly happened?"

**Morien**: "The one man they call Desert Punk; a portal had opened in his time and by sheer chance he

came into our time. However, an enemy of his from his time also came through the portal with humanoid

weapons called guardians. Apparently he was planning on taking over the world with them. Boy was he

in for a rude awakening. They were tough machines to beat but we reduced them to scrap metal in

just a few days"

**Riche**: "So why stay a professor?"

**Morien**: "I like it here. This city has everything I need"

**Riche**: "Also, are you ever going to get a date so the other professors can shut up about it?"

Morien raised an eyebrow, looked at the open door, then looked back at Riche.

**Morien**: "Riche, don't repeat this to anyone…understood?"

Riche nodded.

**Morien**: "I am married in fact. I just haven't told anyone"

**Riche**: "You are? Why not? Who is she?"

**Morien**: "She's umm…from Thailand"

**Riche**: "I see. About time"

**Morien**: "About time? Hey now! Being 29 years old, I think I got hitched at the right time"

Riche let out a chuckle.

**Riche**: "Well thanks for sharing everything. Perhaps your fanclub will grow now"

**Morien**: "Don't mention it. But fanclub? Really?"

Riche just laughed his way out the open door. The sound of a locker opening then closing was the

last thing Morien heard from outside the classroom before he himself packed his folders into his

briefcase and prepared to walk home. He gave out various farewells to the faculty as they bid him

the same when he walked by. His darker skin tone made him stand out from his colleagues. He

attained that from his Puerto Rican mother. His Russian side made him immune to the cold and gave

him the ability to hold alcohol extremely well. Not that he was a problem drinker. With a black dress

vest over a white collared shirt and khaki pants he walked out of the school and put headphones

into his ear. Turning on his mp3 player the first band he came across was Chevelle, right where he

left it. He resumed and began his walk home. The partly cloudy skies occasionally blocked the afternoon

sun as the surrounding buildings were getting brighter then dimmer. He was still having trouble

getting used to people stopping him on the streets asking about the Windy City Campaign making

his walks home about an hour longer. Still, he politely answered their questions then went on his

way. He detoured slightly and went to a grocery store to stock up on a few items he was running low

on. With his briefcase in one hand and grocery bag in the other he continued his walk home. Coming

to a large canal he spots a massive red cargo ship leaving Hamburg's busy harbor. The ship was

traveling the same direction his home was. He finally reaches his 3 story condo overlooking the harbor.

Climbing the narrow gray stairwell he pulls out his keys and finds his door on the third floor. Once

inside he puts all his items on the dining room table and opens his fridge and reaches for a German

brand bottled water. He twists off the cap which makes a small echo in his quiet kitchen. The only

other sound was his fridge humming. With back turned towards the front entrance he takes a

prolonged drink from the bottle. In the process he feels a hand touch his shoulder which startles

him but he already knew who it was.

**Morien**: "Hey. How long have you been here?"

**Washu**: "A few hours. Just woke up from your room"

It had been 2 and a half years since the Windy City Campaign. Not long afterwards Morien and

Washu Hakubi were married but it was not a typical marriage. In the depths of space in an unknown

galaxy was an alter where marital covenant bonds were made to be recognized universally. Morien

still did not understand why there but he accepted it. Morien's father and mother now know of his

marriage but Tenchi and the girls were completely oblivious. Since then they have enjoyed each

other's company daily, both of them happy with their decision. He puts his drink on the counter then

turns around to face his wife. Upon looking he opens his eyes extremely wide almost ripping his

eye lids open.

**Morien**: "What happened to you?"

**Washu**: "Do you like it?"

Washu was no longer in her new 20 year old form but now her full adult form. She was about a foot

and a half taller. Morien was taller still but not by much. Her bust size was considerably larger and

just when he thought she couldn't get anymore beautiful, her beauty is taken to a whole new level;

one in which Morien was not about to complain about. With mouth slightly open he continues to look.

**Washu**: "Well handsome?"

Her face read seduction all over it. With an eyebrow slightly raised she smiled at him. He responded

by rushing over and kissing her hard on the lips. She reprised with a firm grasp around his hips

working her way up his sides all the way to his broad shoulders. Both of them now breathing

somewhat heavily Morien pulls away.

**Morien**: "I think we need to move this to the bedroom"

Washu grabs his hand and leads him to his room then shuts the door.

* * *

Singapore. Perhaps the largest city-state in the world, it boasts a thriving economy, cleanliness,

and tourism. Not to mention is one of the wealthiest non-democracies. Its tropical climate all year

round makes it an ideal living place which is why the 3 other "heroes" of the Windy City Campaign

chose to reside here. Desert Punk, Junko Asagiri, and Vash the Stampede bought a home in a high

rise condo complex in downtown. It was very expensive. Desert Punk, whose real name is Kanta

Mizuno, and Junko were still mercenaries making large amounts of money. Their conditions were

that no innocent people involved even though Desert Punk is still an asshole. Vash the Stampede

put down his weapon and opened up a donut shop a few blocks from where they lived. It was a

major success and was advertised all over Southeast Asia. With their combined efforts they were

easily able to make a living within their two bedroom living space. Junko begged Kanta to have a

bathtub instead of a shower. Eventually he caved and had it installed. Kanta and Junko's relationship

had everyone in question. They slept in the same bed, occasionally held hands, and every once in

a while they took their baths together. Neither of them have confirmed or denied being in a

relationship. Even Vash was ambiguous but he never touched on the matter.

It was now late evening/early morning in Singapore. With curtains open the lights of the city

illuminated Kanta and Junko's room. It was a soft orange color with bamboo color trimming. The lights

outside matched the color of the room. Sitting up in his bed Kanta looked out the window. The electric

alarm clock in his room read 2:38am. This particular night he had trouble sleeping. That morning he

had just arrived from a job in Hong Kong where he rescued a kidnapped young girl who was the

daughter of an airline CEO. He was successful but he had injured his left leg in a fall from a taller

building. Slowly moving his leg he cringed but didn't make a sound. After the pain subsided he looked

out the window at the city. "So this is my life now" he thought. "It really isn't that different here but

the living conditions make it worth while. But it looks like I'm going to be out for a little bit. Might as

well sit back and relax. Junko is more than capable of handling things on her own." He looked back

at Junko who sleeping with her mouth slightly open. Her breathing sounded soothing to Kanta as he

listened. "What a woman she is. After all those times chasing you. Through betrayal and fights you

finally became mine. At least I like to think you are. I hope you are." As it stood, Kanta would never

say those things to Junko. Not yet anyways. His social skills with her still needed work but on the

inside Kanta wanted nothing more than to keep her around. Not because of his own perverted-ness,

but once the feeling came to him that a gorgeous woman was actually into him ,which prior to her

had never happened, he did not want that to change. His face read emotionless as it almost always

did. He looks back out the window. It would be another few minutes before a voice broke the

calm silence.

**Junko**: "You're up?"

**Kanta**: "I can't sleep"

She wipes her eyes then sits up and faces Kanta.

**Junko**: "How's your leg?"

**Kanta**: "It feels a little better"

**Junko**: "Take some pain meds. It should knock you out"

**Kanta**: "I don't need any"

Junko grabs him by the hair.

**Junko**: "Take some pain meds before I make something else hurt"

**Kanta**: "Okay fine! Why are you being like this?"

**Junko**: "You need to heal fast. Don't you think for a second I don't care about your well-being"

Upon hearing this Kanta was taken back but said nothing else. Junko opened a drawer on her

side of the bed and gave Kanta a bottle of pain pills. He grabbed a few pills and chewed them

rather than taking them with water. His face looked sour but he withstood the horrible taste.

Satisfied, Junko laid her head back down and dozed off. Kanta began to feel the affects of the

pain medication and was soon fast asleep.

* * *

It was now getting late in Hamburg. Morien sat on his sofa watching a German news channel

while having a bowl of some type of Asian noodle soup. Sitting next to him was Washu who

was typing frantically on her holographic computer. When a commercial break came Washu spoke.

**Washu**: "The main reason why I came here today was to tell you that the day after your school

gets out for the summer we are having a party at our house. You are invited so you better be there"

**Morien**: "I think I can do that. What kind of party?"

**Washu**: "Just a small get together"

**Morien**: "Yeah sure. I haven't seen Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, or Kiyone for a long

time. Do they even remember me?"

**Washu**: "Yes they do. It was actually Sasami who asked me to invite you"

**Morien**: "Then I better go" he said smiling

**Washu**: "When you do get there don't be surprised when things seem…well…different"

**Morien**: "Meaning?"

**Washu**: "You'll find out"

**Morien**: "Great"

**Washu**: "And you can invite Kanta, Junko, and Vash as well"

**Morien**: "I'll pass that along to them tomorrow"

As the commercials continued to play Morien glanced over at Washu. She wore one of his band

shirts. The word "Sevendust" was written on the otherwise all black shirt. With a straight face

he admired her beauty. He couldn't believe it. She had become even more beautiful. She looked

over at him. Rather than turning his head he continued to look. He locked his dark brown eyes

with her emerald green eyes. She turned red.

**Washu**: "Stop, you're making me blush"

**Morien**: "Mission successful"

Grabbing his collar she brought herself close to him kissing him lightly before letting go and

resuming her work.

**Washu**: "Oh I have another idea. You should bring your instruments for the party"

**Morien**: "Where would I fit them?"

**Washu**: "I can make you a dimensional suitcase so to speak. You can fit multiple items in it and

when you close it, it fits in your hands"

**Morien**: "I keep forgetting I married a genius"

Washu took her eyes off the computer for a moment and looked at the television. The commercial

showed a couple in S & M outfits whipping each other as hard as they can while holding a bottle of beer.

**Washu**: "What the hell kind of commercial is this?"

**Morien**: "A beer commercial"

**Washu**: "And this is normal?"

**Morien**: "Yes. You have to realize this is Germany. Europe in general is a liberal place"

**Washu**: "I don't ever recall seeing a Jurian commercial like this"

**Morien**: "I guess they're not very sex oriented"

**Washu**: "Uh, dear, trust me. Jurians are VERY sex oriented. If we are not drinking we are having

sex. It can be hard to tell at times but it's what we do. You think humans are bad? Jurians are

worse. But I don't mean bad when I way worse"

**Morien**: "Noted. And I understand"

**Washu**: "So what's the plan for the next few days?"

**Morien**: "The students have the next two days off. Finals are on the third day. Then school

is finally out for summer"

**Washu**: "Have you created a final for them yet?"

**Morien**: "I'm halfway done. I should be working on it now but I'm not in the mood. I'll finish

it tomorrow"

**Washu**: "Be careful. That's the anthem of the human race"

**Morien**: "Unlike most people, I will have it done tomorrow. I have to present it to the staff

the day before"

**Washu**: "I see"

**Morien**: "I should get to bed. I'm going to be busy tomorrow"

**Washu**: "I'll be there shortly"

In nothing but a sleeveless shirt and boxers Morien climbs into his bed but leaves the lamp

on, waiting for Washu to arrive. Sitting up but with his legs covered by the bed spread he

looks over the final test he has created making sure everything looked good. Finding a few

spelling errors he erases them and then fixes them. Since it was only a rough draft there

were marks everywhere. The door opens and Washu walks in now wearing just a black tank

top and red running pants. Morien puts away his papers and pulls the cover over so Washu

can slide her way in. Once she's in place he turns off the lamp with only the lights of the

harbor shining in. Washu puts her head on Morien's chest and drifts to sleep quickly. Morien

looks for Washu's hand. Finding it he sees the two rings of energy on their fingers glowing

underneath the covers. It brings a smile to his face. Holding her hands he finally falls asleep

with a days worth of work waiting for him the next day.

**End of Chapter 1**


	2. Worlds Collide Again

**Chapter 2**

Taking small steps out of his bedroom to the beige living room couch, Kanta carefully

walked trying to keep pressure off his injured left leg. The sun was halfway over the

eastern horizon turning off the majority of the street lamps in downtown Singapore.

Still in a drowsy state from the pain medication, Kanta sat down with eyes fighting to

stay open. The sound of movement was coming from the kitchen as Vash was making

himself breakfast before work. A pot of water with a blue flame underneath came from

the stove as two whole eggs were placed inside. Vash always ate light during breakfast.

He never touched the milk or juice in the refrigerator but rather drank the water from

the sink. Kanta looked over towards the kitchen. With a tired and lowered tone of voice

he spoke.

**Kanta**: "You do know that all the items in the fridge are all of ours right?"

Vash just shrugged with his back turned towards Kanta. In his blue pajamas he continued

to watch the water boil on the stove. He began to think of the woman he left behind on

Gunsmoke. Merryl Strife was her name. She was short in stature but was quite the fighter

if you rubbed her the wrong way. He pondered bringing her back to the current time. Like

Kanta, Vash fell through a portal but instead of landing on Earth he found himself on a

nameless planet. To his luck he came across a space pod that was able to bring him to Earth,

crashing in the desert of Libya in Africa. After the battle with the INSF he returned to the

planet Gunsmoke. Just over two years ago, he was back in Morien's time. He had every chance

to go back to his time on Gunsmoke but for reasons unknown, even to himself, he choose

not to. Regretting that decision Vash planned in his head to head back to Gunsmoke with help

of Washu's dimensional transport device he had on his wrist which was identical to Kanta's

but Kanta locked his away never wanting to return to the Kanto Desert.

**Kanta**: "You're like a statue when you're in deep thought"

Vash snapped out of his contemplative state.

**Vash**: "Oh sorry. Yeah just thinking about my past"

**Kanta**: "You want to go back?"

**Vash**: "Maybe. It would only be for a short while"

**Kanta**: "It's a woman isn't it?"

Vash turns around and nods.

**Kanta**: "Why am I not surprised? First Fingerpaintings, then myself, and now you"

**Vash**: "If things turn out the way I want I may bring her back here"

**Kanta**: "I would. Considering you're coming from a desert as well I'm sure she would

remain here with you. This beats the desert any day"

Vash smiles and continues to watch the pot of water which was now boiling.

**Kanta**: "You know, now that you own a donut shop how do you stay thin? I'm almost

certain you find yourself on a daily basis eating your own product in the back room"

**Vash**: "Guilty but not as bad as you think. I'm well aware that customers are top priority

and if I were to consume half of what I have then I would be in major trouble. So while it's

a dream come true, well, kind of anyways, I limit myself"

**Kanta**: "I see"

Kanta's bedroom door opens and Junko walks out holding Kanta's helmet. Kanta gives

her a confused look.

**Kanta**: "What's going on?"

**Junko**: "It's beeping"

**Kanta**: "Beeping?"

Kanta takes the helmet and sees a flashing green light inside.

**Kanta**: "Who the hell is trying to contact me?"

Putting it on Kanta makes contact.

**Kanta**: "Yeah, hello?"

**Morien**: "Long time Mr. Punk"

**Kanta**: "Fingerpaintings?"

**Morien**: "There's only one"

**Kanta**: "Uh yeah. How come you didn't just call the phone?"

**Morien**: "Because you never gave the number to me"

**Kanta**: "Well, whoops. Anyways what do ya need?"

**Morien**: "Washu told me to tell you that there is a party in a few days at Tenchi Masaki's

place. It takes place right after school gets out here in Germany. You are all invited"

**Kanta**: "What kind of party?"

**Morien**: "From what I've been told it's a celebration. She never said what but that's all I

know. And there will be music so she told me to pack a few of my instruments"

**Kanta**: "I'm not really one for parties"

**Morien**: "Neither am I but come on. It's a break from the normal routine. What's the worse

that could happen?"

**Kanta**: "A lot actually. Yeah I guess I'll go"

**Junko**: "What about your leg?"

**Kanta**: "It will be better at that point"

**Junko**: "Whatever"

**Kanta**: "Vash what about you?"

**Vash**: "Sorry but work calls. Thanks though"

**Kanta**: "So Vash is out but Junko and I are in. How are we going about this then?"

**Morien**: "We go as a group. You guys can use dimensional transport to get here then from

there we head to Tenchi's place via Washu's lab"

**Junko**: "I wonder if Vladimir and Alex would want to come"

**Kanta**: "Your wingmen? How come?"

**Junko**: "So they can escape from that icebox that is Russia"

**Kanta**: "I suppose"

**Morien**: "Did I just hear her call Russia an icebox?"

**Kanta**: "Yes. I mean come on; it's not here"

**Morien**: "Fair enough. What happened to your leg?"

**Kanta**: "Fell out a window rescuing a kidnapped kid. Nothing new."

**Morien**: "We're you successful?"

**Kanta**: "At the cost of my leg"

**Morien**: "Then it was worth while"

**Kanta**: "If you say so"

**Morien**: "Well, I have a test I need to finish making. See you guys in a couple of days"

**Kanta**: "Yup. Take care of yourself"

**Junko**: "So you're really going with your leg like that?"

**Kanta**: "It will be fine in two days"

**Junko**: "I guess I can't stop you"

Vash finishes breakfast than changes into business attire; a white red-striped polo shirt,

and black dress pants. The scars could easily be seen on both his arms from the turmoil he

faced year after year while on Gunsmoke. With a 60 billion double dollar bounty on his head

he was a prime target for the majority of all people living on the desert planet. Since on Earth,

he felt much more at peace, also not wanting to go back for long periods of time. Vash grabs

his orange sunglasses on the living room table then opens the front door.

**Vash**: "You two have a great day"

**Junko**: "You as well"

**Kanta**: "Later"

**Junko**: "So what are we doing for the rest of the day?"

Kanta looks at her with a devilish grin.

**Kanta**: "I can think of one thing"

**Junko**: "Anything but that"

**Kanta**: "I'm out of commission for at least 24 hours. If someone contacts us with a job offer

I can't do a damn thing about it"

**Junko**: "I'll make us some breakfast. Then we can go from there"

**Kanta**: "You can cook?"

**Junko**: "Granted I don't do it often but yes I can"

Kanta watches Junko walk into the kitchen, open the refrigerator, and bend down to search

for bread slices and a few eggs. He keeps his eyes on her shapely behind covered by just

white panties with red polka dots which looked very inviting; almost telling him to get off the

couch and cop a feel even with his injured leg but he resisted the urge as he was trying to

better himself in the relationship department. Realizing she was wide open for a viewing, she

quickly stands up and catches Kanta staring but he looks away which surprises her.

**Junko**: "You actually looked away?"

**Kanta**: "I'm really trying here"

She raises both eyebrows in almost utter shock.

**Junko**: "Just for that I'll make you something special"

**Kanta**: "Just toast and eggs will suffice"

She then looks down noticing her lack of pants.

**Junko**: "Oh I never even thought to pants on"

**Kanta**: "You and I both know that was a deliberate act" he said still looking away

**Junko**: "Still as sharp as ever"

Kanta finally looks back at her.

**Kanta**: "Nevertheless I still like the view"

Deciding not to put on pants she continues making breakfast. Now standing up Kanta

walks to the kitchen table and sits in the chair backwards with his arms hanging out

from the back of the chair. He keeps his eyes on Junko who looks back at him again.

**Junko**: "Now what?"

**Kanta**: "I never thought that making breakfast could ever constitute as art. You in that

white tank top and wearing nothing but underwear below; just keep doing what you're

doing"

She smirks at him.

**Junko**: "You know. This almost feels sexist"

**Kanta**: "I never asked you to make breakfast"

**Junko**: "True"

After a few minutes she finishes breakfast for both of them. After eating they both sit

back on the couch and just converse about whatever came to mind.

* * *

The morning was humid in Hamburg. As Morien took a few steps out of his home he felt a

sticky sensation that was typical of warm humid mornings. The last day of school had come

and he was probably just as joyous as his students, if not more. Wearing casual clothes, an

orange polo shirt and blue jeans, he took the tram on this morning rather than his usual walk

which he normally did due to the warm summer air approaching. At the station he only waited

40 seconds before a tram, which was covered in various advertisements, stopped in front of

him. There were only 6 other people waiting to get on. The doors hissed open and everyone

waiting walked in. It was mostly vacant on the inside. The people who were already inside

were either reading a newspaper or on their laptop computers preparing for a days work.

Once Morien took his seat the tram began to pull out of the station and picked up speed. An

announcement was made over the intercom letting other passengers know that due to a

mechanical problem with the original express tram this one was now taking on the role of the

express not stopping at the usual morning stops and instead would continue into downtown.

Morien and the other passengers were delighted to hear this as downtown seemed to be

everyone's destination. With even more extra time added to his agenda Morien decided he

would stop at a coffee shop that was just a few blocks from the school. The tram pulled

into the downtown station which was flooded with people. The doors opened and the sound

voices, bells ringing, police whistles blowing, and the smell moisture rising from the concrete

was all around. This was the city. Following a long line of people Morien walked down a few

flights of stairs before reaching the ground level. Within minutes he spots the coffee shop and

walks in. The walls were brown and decorated with replicas of famous paintings such as the

Mona Lisa. To Morien's surprise the line in the coffee shop was not long. In just a few minute

s his turn came to make an order. He was interrupted by the sound of a loud bang on the

entrance door behind him as someone kicked it in hard and got straight to the point.

**Man**: "Everyone down! This is a robbery!"

Every person cowered down in fear except Morien who just turned his head around and

glared at the man. He was a bald Caucasian with a swastika on his forehead and wore a

black trench coat. He looks at Morien.

**Man**: "You got trouble listening, pretty boy? I said down….oh…"

A stunning revelation came upon the robber as he now figured out the man in front of him

was what the world called the "Guardian of Earth." Not wanting anything to do with him he

sprinted full force out of the shop but didn't get far. Feeling something grab the collar of his

coat he lifted off the ground and was running stationary on nothing but air.

**Morien**: "You picked a really horrible time to rob a coffee shop of all places"

**Man**: "What are you going to do?" he said with a very worried tone of voice.

**Morien**: "Don't worry about me. It's the police who you're going to have to answer to. And

why the swastika? Didn't you learn anything from World War II? Most European countries

still hate Germany for it and you're advertising a part of history that this country would love

to put behind them"

**Man**: "It was a prank. I woke up one morning like this"

**Morien**: "If that's true that's pretty messed up shit. Do you have any weapons on you?"

**Man**: "No"

**Morien**: "What were you thinking?"

**Man**: "It was just the spur of the moment"

Three German police officers ran in formation around the corner responding to a call that the

coffee shop was just robbed. They were relieved that the robber was caught.

**Officer**: "Thank you. We'll take him from here"

**Morien**: "He was unarmed. And the 'thing' on his forehead was a prank. Don't hurt him"

German police officers were known for their brutality if you didn't comply. When they gave an

order it was best to obey. Satisfied with the outcome of the morning's unexpected event

Morien went back into the shop and just ordered a black coffee then left for the school. The

classroom was dark even with the sun now coming out. Turning on the lights the first thing he

sees are all the music posters around the classroom. The desks were neatly aligned and the

floor was waxed the night before to give it a noticeable shine. Placing his briefcase on the desk

he opens a few windows to let light in. Outside was the school yard which was being mowed

by school maintenance. Summer vacation was just a few hours away. He would be giving 4

different classes the same test. He took the spring semester off from teaching at the university

lessening his workload so once he was done at the high school he was done until fall. It would

be another half hour before the students started filling in their seats in his classroom. The bell

rang and finals commenced.

**Morien**: "Welcome everyone. I hope you all studied hard. When you are done with the finals place

them on my desk. I will be walking around so if any of you have questions raise a hand and I will

help in the best way I can. Hope you have a great summer."

With that, he passed out the tests and his students began to write. This process would repeat

3 more times. After the very last test was passed to him he began to grade them. It took several

hours but he was determined to get them done. Break was so close. Finally the last red mark was

made indicating a grade and he recorded it into the computer. That was it. With all grades

submitted to the school he was finally done. Wasting no time he said his goodbyes to the faculty

and headed for his home. Listening to his music he was head banging all the way to his condo

in full view of everyone who was around but he disregarded them. He was too elated to feel

embarrassment. Stepping inside his home he put his briefcase on the table once again. A sudden

loss of energy came upon him. "Man I'm tired. Where did that come from?" he said to himself. Walking

to his sofa he threw himself face first and within minutes fell asleep.

The next morning he was woken up by a rather unexpected voice.

**Kanta**: "Fingerpaintings! We're here!"

Morien opened his eyes and looked at the clock which read 9:49am the next day.

**Morien**: "What the hell? Did I really sleep that long? How did end up in my bed?"

He heard multiple voices outside his bedroom door so he knew Kanta wasn't alone which wasn't a

surprise. It was the day of the party at Tenchi Masaki's place. Washu had told Morien to expect

the unexpected which he did not give much thought. Getting up out of the bed he opens his door

and sticks his head out.

**Morien**: "It's almost 10am. Why so early?"

**Kanta**: "Because they're in a different time zone dipshit"

**Morien**: "That failed to register. Okay be out in a few minutes"

Remembering that Washu said it was just casual event, he put on a black Chevelle band shirt

and beige military cargo pants as well as combat boots. He steps out of his room. Along with

Kanta was Junko, Alex, and Vladimir quietly conversing among themselves. He notices Junko who

was wearing a long red dress like she did in the Oasis. In addition she also had a red umbrella.

She reminded him of a geisha.

**Morien**: "Is that really what you're wearing?"

**Junko**: "Yes. What's wrong with it?"

**Morien**: "Nothing! Uhh…looks good!" he said with a nervous smile. "So is everyone ready then?"

They all nodded in his direction. In a few seconds the portal to Washu's lab opens and all of

them walk in. Alex and Vladimir were taken back.

**Morien**: "I forgot that you two aren't use to this type of sci-fi thing. Except this is not fiction"

**Vladimir**: "I have never machines like this before"

**Morien**: "Yeah, my wife runs a pretty damn amazing operation in here, whatever it is"

After a few minutes of searching he finds the door that leads to Tenchi's house.

**Morien**: "Ok. Try to be on your best behavior" he said looking at Kanta.

**Kanta**: "Just worry about yourself. I can handle my own self"

Morien puts his hands on the door and pushes. It only gets about 4 inches before it stops on

someone's foot. It was just enough for Morien to see what was happening on the other side.

With both eyes wide open he saw that there were many people in what looked like unfamiliar

style military outfits as well as people dressed casually and also in decorative robes. A voice

spoke from the other side of the door.

**Man**: "Oh sorry!"

Now the door opened all the way revealing the multitude of people.

**Man**: "Hey you must be newcomers!"

Morien took note of the man greeting him. He was having a hard time standing up and he

reeked of alcohol.

**Morien**: "Yeah, hi. What's going on here?"

**Man**: "It's a celebration of our victory a year ago this day…YAAHOOO!"

With arms up in the air he ran into the kitchen almost knocking down a few people along the

way. Everyone else in the lab stepped out and the door shut behind them. They took in the

scenery of people all around. There wasn't much space to walk and everyone was loud and

laughing hysterically. Morien had to raise his voice so everyone in his group could hear him.

**Morien**: "So much for small get-together"

**Kanta**: "My thoughts exactly. I'd say we split and do our own thing"

**Morien**: "Fine by me"

Morien tried to make his way to the front door while everyone else went up the stairs which

was also filled with party goers. On his way out a man in what looked like a royal decorate

robe lost his balance and had to catch Morien's shoulder to keep from falling. His hair was

purple as well as goatee and straight strands of hair it fell from both sides of his head. It was

identical to Ayeka's hair color. He was laughing lightly.

**Man**: "Mah boy…this piece is our one…true…dinner"

His breath reeked of alcohol even worse than the first man he met.

**Morien**: "Uhh…nice to meet you too" he said with an eyebrow raised.

A woman who's robe was similar to his came up and took him by his arm. Her hair was aqua

green similar to that of Sasami's.

**Woman**: "Honey. I'm glad you are having fun but I think you may be scaring this poor man.

Just have a seat" she said gleefully.

After setting him down she turns to Morien.

**Woman**: "Sorry about that. He can't hold his alcohol very well"

**Morien**: "At least he looks happy"

She smiles.

**Woman**: "I'm Misaki, empress of Jurai"

**Morien**: "Empress? Seriously?"

**Misaki**: "Yes. The man you just met was my husband, Emperor Asuza. And sitting next to

him is Empress Funaho" Funaho took note and smiled, giving him a light bow.

Morien was taken back. He had never been in the presence of royalty.

**Morien**: "It's a pleasure to meet you your highness" he said with a bow.

**Misaki**: "No need for that. We are all equals here today" she said cheerfully.

**Morien**: "My name is Morien"

**Misaki**: "Morien? Washu has brought you up a few times. She may like you" she said

elbowing his side.

**Morien**: "Is that so? By the way, your highness, what's going on today? Washu said this

was to be a small get together but it looks like a rock concert in here"

**Misaki**: "We are celebrating the victory of a great battle that took place one year ago from

this day. We have made it a tradition to come to Earth and enjoy the festivities provided by

Captain Thomas Franklin and his crew each year"

**Morien**: "I see"

**Misaki**: "Well I won't keep you waiting too long. Go outside and enjoy! We have to make

sure our husband behaves himself"

**Morien**: "We? Oh wait, nevermind"

He gave all three of them a slight bow then almost fighting his way through crowds of people

he walks outside and sees that things are not that much different outside except that is was

on a much larger scale. The sun was preparing to sink below the mountains turning the sky

pink. The sound of music had caught his ear and he look in its direction. In the distance he

spotted a massive organ with two people playing on it. It was on a makeshift stage complete

with lighting and the works. There was a large crowd looking at the two people performing.

Morien had looked closer at the front of the crowd and spotted Ayeka with her arms wrapped

around a man who was considerably well built. His spiky hair made him stand out from the rest

of the crowd. "Looks like she finally found someone" Morien thought to himself. "In the past couple

of years everyone I know seems to be finding a date. Anyways I think I'm going to go visit the

spot where we crashed years ago in the woods nearby." The sound of the music was fainting

as he began to walk towards the woods. Even in the furthest areas away from the house people

could be seen partying. Coming to an open area Morien sees there are no people and continues

to walk. The man standing next to Ayeka turns his head and notices Morien far out in the distance.

His facial expression went from content to concern.

**Man**: "Honey, I'm going to go for a bit" he said letting go of her arm

**Ayeka**: "Is everything alright?"

**Man**: "I hope so"

* * *

Back at Tenchi's home Alex and Vladimir split from Kanta and Junko who had come back down the

stairs to find even more people filling in to the living room. As they turned towards the dining room a

man with a camera comes into their view. He takes his eye out of the viewing screen noticing they

did not look like they were from Tom's crew. All three of them made eye contact and walked towards

each other.

**Nobuyuki**: "Hey, I'm Nobuyuki. You guys look new"

**Kanta**: "New enough I suppose. I'm Kanta and this is Junko"

Nobuyuki is caught off guard staring right into Junko's massive breasts.

**Nobuyuki**: "Nice to meet boobs…I mean you! Aw dammit!"

**Junko**: "It's quite alright. It happens all the time"

**Nobuyuki**: "You're not going to slap across the face?" he asked surprised

**Junko**: "Nope. Besides everyone here is in good spirits so we should keep it that way"

**Nobuyuki**: "Well then. Welcome to my place! Make yourselves at home. There is plenty of drinks

around so enjoy!"

He smiled at the two then turned his camera back on and resumed recording the events.

**Junko**: "He seems nice"

**Kanta**: "Let's see what's happening outside"

Sliding the door open Kanta and Junko look outside. It was getting dark but the energy of the party

seemed to increase. They looked at the stage with the organ on it. The lights were moving with the

rhythm of the music coming from the giant instrument. From above Junko hears voices and turns

around to find Alex and Vladimir on the roof.

**Junko**: "Hey, what the hell are you two doing up there?"

They shrugged their shoulders. Junko looks at both of their hands and sees they are holding bottles

of vodka both of which are half full.

**Junko**: "They brought their own vodka?"

**Vladimir**: "Hey, it's a party is it not commander?" He was trying hard to stay on his feet.

**Kanta**: "Are these guys for real? They haven't even been here an hour and they're already hammered!"

**Alex**: "You're mother is hammered, Kanta! OOOH! You see what I did there?"

**Kanta**: "Unfortunately. If I'm lucky maybe one of them will fall off"

**Junko**: "Will you two just come down from there?"

**Vladimir**: "Make us! WOOHOO!"

**Kanta**: "Forget this. They're on their own now"

**Junko**: "I guess so"

Other party members saw Alex and Vladimir on the roof and thinking it was a great idea

many people joined them and danced to whatever the organ was playing. Walking on the

deck, Kanta and Junko took in the sights from outside. In the pond below them people were

swimming, splashing each other with water. Once they reached dry land they were stopped

by a small group of men in military attire who were among the drunk.

**Man**: "Hey toots. What do you say you join us and we head back to the Gray Wolf and we get it on?"

**Junko**: "How about we don't?" she said with a smirk

**Man**: "Aww come on! You don't need the short stack. I'm more man than him!"

**Junko**: "I don't know about that…little guy" again she smirked but it had a more evil demeanor to it.

**Man**: "Okay, that's crossing the line! You, shortshit! Stand in her place so I can kick your ass!"

**Kanta**: "Whatever"

Kanta stood in front of Junko with his signature cold steel look as the man in front of him

took off his jacket so he was just in a sleeveless shirt and pants.

**Man**: "This won't take long"

**Kanta**: "I think you are correct"

Not even taking a stance the man throws a punch but Kanta easily dodges. Becoming

more frustrated in his drunken state he wildly swings. Even Junko had to duck. Finally

Kanta had enough. The man took one last swing and Kanta ducked. From there he head

butts the man's abdomen causing him to spit up quite a bit of saliva. Then Kanta finishes

him off with an uppercut. As it lands, the man's jaw turns to the right and he falls backwards

landing on his back with arms stretched out. The other 3 part of his group were in shook.

The man Kanta just knocked out was larger in size than the other 3. Others standing around

took notice and joined in.

**Officer**: "Okay. You want to fight? That's fine. We need the practice anyways but we'll

make it even. I need a few of you to join their side and the rest will stay with me"

It was 6 on 6. A man in Kanta's group introduced himself.

**Man**: "Hey. I'm Larry"

**Kanta**: "Kanta. What a way to get introduced"

**Larry**: "Well, we are a military force. If we're not having fun we're training. Excuse me

madam but you don't have to fight"

**Junko**: "I was born a fighter. I'm not walking out of this"

**Larry**: "Suit yourself. Alright. Let's do this!"

* * *

With headphones in his ears, Morien continues his walk trying to reach the distant woods

which were almost out of sight due to the fading light. Up ahead he spots where the C-5

Galaxy crashed years ago. There was a massive void in the trees where the aircraft had

struck. Morien stopped for a moment to remember that day. He chuckled to himself thinking

about everything that had happened that led him to here. Pressing forward he got about

another 15 feet before he hit what he thought was a wall. Closing his eyes he fell

backwards but caught himself. Holding his nose he felt a bit of blood come out.

**Morien**: "What the hell?"

Looking in front of him he didn't see anything. He extended his hand out and felt something.

It felt like metal. He takes his headphones out of his ears.

**Morien**: "Is this an invisible wall?"

**Man**: "Hey! I've been trying to call ya but you looked like you were having a jolly old time

listening to your music" said a voice from behind.

Morien turned around. It was the same man Ayeka had her arms wrapped around. As he

approached Morien took note of his high muscle mass.

**Morien**: "Damn dude. You on steroids or something?" he joked

**Man**: "Nope. This is the real deal. Let's just say it came with the package"

Morien mused for a second trying to figure out how he would decipher what the man just said.

**Man**: "The name's Russ" he extended his hand which Morien grabbed a hold of.

**Morien**: "Morien. Pleasure to meet you"

As Russ shook his hand he raised an eyebrow.

**Russ**: "No offense but are you human?"

**Morien**: "Yes. Why?"

**Russ**: "I've never felt this kind of energy before. Not to mention it seems high even for a human. You might be able to take on a Jurian and win"

**Morien**: "Maybe I'll find out one day. But I came to this party to…drink I guess. I noticed that you were standing with Ayeka. Are you two…dating?"

**Russ**: "Yes we are" he said proudly "And actually this party has a lot to do with that"

**Morien**: "Oh? Enlighten me"

**Russ**: "In case no one else has told you, this party is the celebration of a victory that was won by my friend Tom and his crew one year ago. The battle happened because Ayeka's father, Emperor Asuza, did not want her on Earth and did not want her with me. So, bringing along his crew he came to Earth and when she refused to go home to Jurai he was going to attack us. Luckily my friend Tom was there with his highly advanced fleet of space fighters and we beat them. It was tough though. We were outnumbered but we still came out on top. Speaking of advanced fighter, let me show you something"

Extending his hand towards the invisible wall the object was revealed and it was not a wall but rather a space age looking fighter.

**Morien**: "That looks really familiar"

**Russ**: "Can you guess where it's from?"

**Morien**: "Umm…Battlestar Galactica?"

Russ's face went from friendly to a glare. Morien tiled his head at an angle curiously looking at his facial expression.

**Morien**: "I take that as a no…or a maybe!"

**Russ**: "NO! Battlestar Galactica? That is an abomination of science fiction! And that God-awful word "Frak"…UGGH…I cannot stand that show. Sorry about that. It's actually from Star Wars"

**Morien**: "That would have been my next guess. What type of ship is this?"

**Russ**: "It's a Tie Defender"

**Morien**: "Where or how the hell did you make this thing? It looks so real"

**Russ**: "It is real. Tom created it somehow"

Russ walks up to his Tie Defender and presses a button firing a harmless green laser from one of its cannons.

**Morien**: "I was never a huge fan of Star Wars but this is beyond amazing"

**Russ**: "Thanks. And another friend of mine has a Toscan Fighter"

**Morien**: "I'm afraid I don't know what that is"

Now walking back towards the party, Morien and Russ continue to talk about things that interest them.

**Russ**: "Guitar eh. How good are you?"

**Morien**: "I'm…okay I guess. I'm no Slash or Buckethead. Do you play anything?"

**Russ**: "Piano, organ, drums, a few other things"

**Morien**: "Any particular bands you like?"

**Russ**: "I like a bit of everything but recently I've been into Crystal Method"

**Morien**: "I haven't listened to them for ages"

**Russ**: "What do you listen to?"

**Morien**: "I'm really fond of hard rock and metal. Granted I like other genres like Celtic music but

for the most part I'm a metal head. It drives my wife, Washu, crazy sometimes though"

He said with a laugh then stops dead in his tracks realizing he just revealed his secret to Russ.

**Russ**: "Washu?" he said with his mouth slightly open

**Morien**: "Russ, the others don't know. I would like to keep it that way for a bit longer"

**Russ**: "Dude! That's awesome! You and Washu! I never thought she would get married. But

why are you keeping it a secret?"

**Morien**: "It's fun? I honestly don't know"

They continue to walk with the house now visible.

**Russ**: "How do you think the others will react?"

**Morien**: "Whatever happens, happens. So you and Ayeka…when did that start?"

**Russ**: "Oh boy. Where do I begin? Umm…well a few years ago I came to earth to stop

Zorpheus, my friend who's around here somewhere, from gaining immortality by ways of

a unique means. I landed around here and Mr. Masaki, along with everyone else, was nice

enough to let me stay. When I met Ayeka I thought she was gorgeous but I didn't want a

relationship. I was too focused on the task at hand which was Zorpheus. I trained just about

everyday. No matter what I tried she always wanted us to date. So, long story short, Zorpheus

came, we almost killed each other, got healed, then Zorpheus had to kick my ass to convince

me to date her. Now here we are after all we've been through"

**Morien**: "You should write a novel about that"

**Russ**: "Nah. The story is still being written"

Morien focuses on a large group of people standing by the shore of the pond. He hears the

chant "fight fight fight."

**Russ**: "What on earth is going on?"

**Morien**: "Why do I have this feeling someone I know is behind this?"

Morien turns his head to find Russ gone. He then looks up and sees him floating in the air

getting a look at the fight in the middle of the circle of people. Finding a tree he climbs up

quickly and looks at the action in the middle of group of people. He sees people lying on

the ground holding their heads in defeat. The only two people standing are Kanta and

someone 3 times his size in front of him. Russ comes over to Morien.

**Russ**: "That's Zorpheus. And I take it the other one is a friend of yours"

**Morien**: "Yes. What's going on? Any idea?"

**Russ**: "If I were your friend I would stand down"

**Morien**: "I've seen Kanta take down men that size"

**Russ**: "You don't understand. We are not exactly human"

**Morien**: "Okay what are you then?"

**Russ**: "Our race is known as the Saiyins. We are extremely powerful"

**Morien**: "So supernatural strength then?"

Russ began to speak but his lips began to move in slow motion. Morien raised an eyebrow

wondering what was happening. He moved himself but he was moving at normal speed. Or

so he thought. Looking back at the Kanta he sees Zorpheus with his hand extended

towards Kanta.

**Morien**: "OH SHIT…."

A white ball of energy came out of Zorpheus's hands heading right for Kanta. But it was in

slow motion. Not thinking about why, Morien jumps down from the tree and super sprints

through the group of people reaching the two men facing off. The energy ball was just ten

feet away from Kanta. With fist thrusting forward, Morien swats away the energy ball sending

it skyward, making a small explosion. Now his world returns to normal speed. The entire

crowd around him gasps. He unleashes some anger on Kanta.

**Morien**: "What the hell are you doing? Can't I leave you alone for one second without you

doing something completely apeshit?"

Kanta does not respond but rather looks over Morien's shoulder. Morien caught this and knew

someone was right behind him and he knew who it was. Turning around he was now face

to face with Zorpheus. Right away he notices that he is missing an eye.

**Zorpheus**: "How the hell did you do that?"

**Morien**: "I'm a magician...I don't know; it just happened. Why did you attack Kanta?"

**Zorpheus**: "He said he could take it. He said 'come at me with any attack' and I replied with

'anything?' and he nodded. So I gave what he asked for. Besides he attacked my friends first"

**Morien**: "Well next time pick on someone who can handle an attack like that"

The crowd fell silent.

**Zorpheus**: "Like you?"

**Morien**: "Oh. I walked right into that one didn't I? Yeah, me apparently"

**Zorpheus**: "Then let's continue this shall we?"

Not giving Morien a chance to take a stance Zorpheus comes at Morien with an overhead

crushing blow but Morien quickly evades. The punch hits the ground sending dirt and dust

everywhere scattering the crowd. He looks around but doesn't see him anywhere.

**Zorpheus**: "Come out, come out wherever you are"

He feels a tap on his shoulder.

**Zorpheus**: "Gotcha!"

He swings around with a backfist but Morien ducks and responds with a Spartan kick

sending Zorpheus over the crowd and into the pond. Mihoshi was near where he landed

as he resurfaced.

**Mihoshi**: "Oh hey you! Finally decided to come join me?"

**Zorpheus**: "I'm…a bit…busy baby. I'll be right back"

Zorpheus flies up into the air then looks down at Morien who is looking up at him with a

straight face.

**Zorpheus**: "I don't know what kind of power that is but I will say it's impressive. However,

fun time is over"

Zorpheus's hair starts to flash yellow and his eye flashes blue.

**Zorpheus**: "Witness the awesome power of a Super Saiyin!"

He transforms into a being emitting almost blinding light. The surrounding trees reflected

the light. The entire property now had all eyes on him. Everyone in the house ran outside.

Morien remained unchanged with his arms crossed waiting for Zorpheus to make a move. From

behind Zorpheus, another Super Saiyin appeared putting him into a full nelson.

**Russ**: "That's enough!"

**Zorpheus**: "Let me go! He started this!"

**Russ**: "I don't think he did. You want to kill someone? Stop this now!"

Zorpheus looks down at Morien in disappointment, not getting a chance to attack him as a

Super Saiyin.

**Zorpheus**: "Until next time" he said looking at Morien who smirked at him and raised an

eyebrow. Coming through the crowd was another well built man in a while military outfit

decorated with medals. He did not seem happy.

**Man**: "Okay guys! WHAT THE HELL? I go through all this trouble making this party possible

and you are all fighting! This is not like you at all!"

**Russ**: "Sorry Tom. Things just got out of hand"

**Junko**: "Maybe if your drunken men would stop asking me to go to some ship and make

me howl all night long this would have never happened!"

**Kanta**: "It's true"

**Tom**: "Well you guys?"

**Man**: "Sorry sir. I was drunk and…"

**Tom**: "That's no excuse! You know how I feel about disrespecting women! Do not let

this happen again! Are you all clear on that?"

A huge "Yes sir" came from the crowd.

**Tom**: "And I see we have some new faces"

Morien, Kanta, and Junko stepped forward.

**Morien**: "I'm Morien Eeham"

**Kanta**: "Kanta Mizuno"

**Junko**: "Junko Asagiri"

**Tom**: "Welcome to the party. I'm Captain Thomas Franklin"

Zorpheus and Russ come down and join the 4.

**Tom**: "Now that you've all introduced yourselves in a rather unconventional way you

better start getting along. If you excuse me, I'm going back to join my sweetheart, Nagi,

and the others"

They all watched Tom walk away then turn towards each other with the crowd still looking

at them.

**Zorpheus**: "Sorry about that, dude. It was a misunderstanding. That was quite an ass-kicking

you gave me"

**Morien**: "I wouldn't have called that an ass kicking. If I didn't know any better I'd say you

were about to destroy me with your 'lightbulb' ability"

**Russ**: "That's called a Super Saiyin"

**Zorpheus**: "So what are you? Are you a Saiyin as well?"

**Morien**: "No. I'm human with a few perks"

**Zorpheus**: "A few? No human has ever been able to stand up to me and actually put on an

offense. Of course I wasn't really powered up"

**Morien**: "Excuses, excuses" he laughs

**Zorpheus**: "Hey! It's true"

**Morien**: "I believe you. Besides, if it's any consolation, I was kind of nervous to fight you

for a moment"

Soon Tenchi along with everyone else came out and joined.

**Tenchi**: "Morien, Kanta. How are you guys?"

**Kanta**: "Better now that we are getting along"

**Ryoko**: "Holy cow. It's been years since I've seen the both of you"

**Morien**: "Likewise. You haven't aged a bit"

Ryoko turned red then smile a bit.

**Kiyone**: "Welcome back Morien"

**Morien**: "Thank you Kiyone"

**Ayeka**: "I've assumed you have all met Russ"

**Morien**: "Sure have but more Zorpheus than Russ"

Zorpheus laughs.

**Russ**: "Well you guys. It's dark now. I'd say we light up that stage with some music.

You in, Morien?"

Morien looks over at Kanta who nods back at him.

**Morien**: "Lead the way"

The group along with the crowd makes their way towards the stage in the distance.

**Tenchi**: "So how have you been?"

**Morien**: "School just got out for the summer in Germany. You have no idea how happy

I am about that. What's new with you?"

**Tenchi**: "I think the question should be what isn't new"

**Ryoko**: "You said it, dear. We have a lot of info we need to fill you three in with"

**Morien**: "Where is Mihoshi?"

**Kiyone**: "In the pond somewhere"

**Zorpheus**: "Oh thanks for reminding me. I'll catch up with you guys in a bit"

Zorpheus heads back to the pond.

**Kanta**: "What was that about?"

**Kiyone**: "Those two are dating"

**Kanta**: "Man, love is just in the air everywhere today isn't it?"

Kiyone's face turned slightly sad and Kanta notices.

**Kanta**: "Oh. I guess almost everywhere"

**Kiyone**: "It's okay. I won't lie though. I am quite envious"

**Junko**: "Don't worry. The right guy will come sooner than you think"

Junko looks over back at the house and sees Alex and Vladimir still on the roof dancing.

**Junko**: "Those idiots. It's amazing they're skilled pilots"

**Kanta**: "In their defense they are Russian"

Morien overhears.

**Morien**: "What's that supposed to mean?"

**Kanta**: "That you're all a bunch of drunken crazy loonies"

**Morien**: "Oh. No argument from me"

**Kanta**: "So how come you're not like that?"

**Morien**: "Because I'm only half Russian"

**Kanta**: "Yeah the half makes a huge difference" he said sarcastically.

**Ryoko**: "I'd like to put that to the test. How about a drinking contest?"

**Morien**: "Drinking games? I haven't done those since…actually I don't think I ever have.

If I have then I don't remember. I suppose so. Any particular game you like?"

**Ryoko**: "You call it"

**Morien**: "Boxing then"

**Ryoko**: "Which is?"

**Morien**: "I'll explain it when it's time. I will only say now that you need a drinking partner"

Ryoko looks at Tenchi.

**Tenchi**: "Whoa, wait. I'm really not much of a…"

**Ryoko**: "Hush! You are my drinking partner, like it or not"

Tenchi sighed in defeat.

**Morien**: "Now I need a drinking partner"

**Ayeka**: "Russ will happily join you"

**Russ**: "No I will not. You know I don't drink"

A crowd began to form around the stage where the organ stood. At the front Ayeka's

younger blue-haired sister appeared, running to Morien and giving him a hug.

**Sasami**: "Morien! How are you?"

**Morien**: "I'm great! And you? You're looking absolutely adorable as always."

**Sasami**: "Thank you"

**Morien**: "Oh man. I cannot wait to try your cooking again. Superb!"

**Sasami**: "Aww shoot"

**Morien**: "What's new with you?"

**Sasami**: "Well, other than Russ and Zorpheus moving in with us nothing has really changed"

She looks over and sees Kanta.

**Sasami**: "Hey Kanta!"

She walks up to him and hugs him as well. Kanta was surprised as he was not used to

receiving hugs from anyone. He couldn't remember the last time he was hugged. It actually

softened him up on the inside a bit. He returned with a hug of his own.

**Kanta**: "Hey kiddo. Long time"

**Sasami**: "And who's this with you?" she asked looking at Junko.

**Junko**: "I'm Junko. Pleased to meet you"

As Junko and Sasami talked for a bit Kanta, Morien, and Russ came together to discuss

plans for the upcoming stage performance.

**Russ**: "Okay guys, so what are we doing?"

**Morien**: "No idea. I do covers of other songs and that's really about it"

**Russ**: "Same. Kanta what do you do?"

**Kanta**: "Drums. Preferably with a double-pedal bass set"

**Russ**: "You guys need a bassist?"

**Morien**: "Actually Vladimir plays bass and is quite good at it"

**Kanta**: "Good luck trying to get him off the roof"

**Russ**: "That him up there?"

Kanta nods.

**Russ**: "Hey you guys. Turn off the music for a second"

The two men playing on the organ stop and the dancing on the roof follows suit. Now a bit

more sober, Vladimir speaks up.

**Vladimir**: "Hey, where's the music?" he said in a strong Russian accent.

**Kanta**: "Get your ass down here! We need you to play bass!"

**Vladimir**: "In front of them?"

**Kanta**: "Is there a problem with that? Get down here now or I'll push you off!"

The crowd lowered their heads a bit listening to the somewhat awkward conversation.

**Morien**: "You sure know how to make friends"

**Kanta**: "If you're too soft they do whatever they want"

Minutes later Vladimir shows up.

**Vladimir**: "So what's going on?"

**Morien**: "We've been asked to sing. Might as well give them a show"

**Kanta**: "And what are we going to play?"

**Morien**: "Remember that one Chevelle song we played in my studio?"

They both nodded.

**Morien**: "We can play that one"

**Kanta**: "Sounds good to me"

**Vladimir**: "Ok but where are the instruments? All I see is this massive hunk of instrument

on stage"  
**Morien**: "I have one of Washu's portal devices housing the instruments"

**Russ**: "So you three want to go first?"

**Morien**: "Doesn't matter to me"

**Russ**: "Alright. We'll follow up with something then"

Morien, Kanta, and Vladimir walk up behind the organ and pull out instruments and parts.

After setting each one on the grass each person grabs an instrument, cord, and walks on

stage. They were a bit nervous as they had never played on stage before in front of a

crowd this big. People were now coming out of the house including the Jurian royalty. Washu

was among them. The crowd was casually talking to themselves while the trio was setting

up their instruments on stage.

**Kanta**: "Can you help me fix the drums?"

**Morien**: "Just a second"

Vladimir opens a black rectangular case and pulls out a bass guitar.

**Morien**: "Be care with that one. It took me a while to find a bass like that"

**Vladimir**: "She's in good hands"

Morien smiles then helps Kanta set up the drums. Afterwards he turns his attention to his

orange PRS tuning it to Drop-C. He plays with it a little before plugging it. Afterwards he

plays a small solo getting a cheer from the crowd testing the speakers. Kanta beats on

the drums making sure each microphone was working. Vladimir gave a few notes off the

bass making sure it was ready. The crowd started to get quiet. Russ and Zorpheus were

standing in the front row along with Tenchi, Ryoko, Junko, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and

Kiyone. Washu was in the back with Asuza, Misaki, and Funaho. Lastly Morien and Vladimir

check their microphones. Morien walks over to Kanta and Vladimir giving them a friendly

fist pound then walks to his microphone with guitar in hand.

**Morien**: "Good evening everyone. I was asked by Russ earlier if I wanted to perform tonight.

I wasn't expecting this much of a turnout so I think I speak for everyone up here when I

say I'm a bit nervous" the crowd cheers "With that being said we're going to play something

a bit heavier than what you've been listening to tonight. It's the only thing I know how to do

at this point. I hope you all enjoy" He hits the string on his guitar letting it ring out all over the

property. "This song is called 'Sleep Apnea' by Chevelle. Let's rock out!" The whole crowd

cheers and the trio begins their song. Morien plays the intro followed by a burst of heavy

sound as Vladimir and Kanta join in. Morien starts head banging madly while Vladimir bobs his

head back and forward. Kanta hits the drums as hard as he could. All around strobe lights

were flashing matching the beat of the music. The crowd began to jump and even a mosh pit

formed. The first verse came.

**Morien**: "There sat a new test  
Much harder that you bought in  
As for the unseen, just take care of what you will  
Light the silent alarm  
We never think that we're missing much 'til

I gasp and hold my breath  
These needs had changed so deep  
To face you all and say  
I've been awake for…

I need a new test  
Then I set out to choose someone to  
Light the soul like a kiln  
Just imagine us chasing this with  
Eyes scorned from sleep apnea  
A slight of tongue as the sea surrounds me

I gasp and hold my breath  
These needs have changed so deep  
To face you all and say  
I've been awake for...

Ever  
Ever  
Ever  
Ever

Try to read off a letter that's falling apart  
The sun and the moon; I count sheep  
Escape like an animal I'm ready for my sleepless stroll

**Vladimir**: I felt these shifting hours mistakenly used up….

**Morien**: So I gasp and hold my breath  
These needs have changed so deep  
To face you all and say  
I've been awake for years/forever

I gasp and hold my breath  
These needs have changed so deep  
To face you all and say  
I've been awake for...

Ever  
Ever  
Ever  
Ever

The crowd erupted in cheer and clapping.

**Morien**: "Thank you guys so much! Gentlemen, we're out of here!"

After leaving the stage the trio once again goes behind the organ to put their things

away. Russ and Zorpheus join them.

**Russ**: "That was amazing you guys!

**Zorpheus**: "That's going to be a tough act to follow up"

**Morien**: "I have a question about your lighting system"

**Russ**: "Okay"

**Morien**: "Do they work based on beats or genre?"

**Russ**: "I'm not really sure. How come?"

**Morien**: "Part of what makes a great show is the lights. If you play something a bit

more electronic the light show will be that much more amazing. You guys should cover

a song of The Faint or something"

**Zorpheus**: "I have not heard them forever. Let's do that Russ!"

**Russ**: "Sounds good. See you guys in the front row!"

The trio left behind Russ and Zorpheus to prepare for their performance. Kanta and

Vladimir join the group in the front while Morien makes his way back towards Washu. He

sees that she is standing next to the two empresses and the Emperor.

**Washu**: "Nice performance"

**Morien**: "Really?"

**Washu**: "For tonight, yes"

**Misaki**: "It was a nice deviation from what I normally listen to. I forgot how much energy

there is in music like that"

**Funaho**: "Maybe you should play at Startica Festival"

**Morien**: "Startica?"

**Washu**: "Too much info for now. I will explain it to him later"

Asuza looked over at Morien. He didn't say anything but he smiled and nodded his

direction and Morien did the same in return.

**Morien**: "Are you feeling better?"

**Asuza**: "From what?"

**Morien**: "Earlier today"

**Asuza**: "Oh that was you wasn't it? For now yes. Believe me I'm going to be like that

again in a few hours once this is over and the party continues"

Morien, Washu, and the two empresses chuckled a bit then looked over at the stage

as Russ sat on the organ chair and Zorpheus set up a microphone. A set of drums

appeared from nowhere and Tom took his place behind them. On guitar and bass were

two of Tom's lieutenants.

**Zorpheus**: "Hello everyone! We're gonna try to beat the first act tonight with another

cover suggested by the first performers. And I kid about beating the first group. They

were great were they not?" The crowd cheers in agreement "Ok. Getting right to the

point this is Paranioattack by The Faint. I want to see you guys moving! Ya got it?"

Russ set up the sounds he wanted from the organ setting up several different types of

electronic sounds. He turned to everyone and when they all indicated they were ready

he signaled for someone to turn off the lights. The stage went dark and the crowd cheered.

Immediately the first electronic sound hit setting off the stage lights to flash orange.

Then the second sound hit alternating the lights orange and green. Soon other sounds

followed creating a kaleidoscope of colors on the stage. The crowd was now really getting

into it as they jumped up and down. Soon the drums hit and the stage went up in lights

which would have sent an epileptic to his or her death. It was now Zorpheus about to

sing into the microphone.

**Zorpheus**: "The news has got me paranoid,  
Papers and the news reports,  
Casualties of everyone,  
Anchor people beat the score.  
The weapon is now chemicals,  
More then any of them,  
Circulating envelopes,  
With powder through the postal route.

(Morien ran up to the stage and then dove off into the crowd landing somewhere

between the 5th and 6th row of people, crowd surfing his towards the back.)

Threat of the diseases,  
And we don't give two thoughts about it,  
Here, it took forever 'til it stopped,  
Mandatory needle shots.  
They gave us all a little dose,  
Feed your bodies, how'd it go?  
Finally when we had it,  
Look some terrorists are packed with it.

The public end is working now,  
I'm falling for a hook and reel,  
Stocking up on medicine,  
Buying tape to seal itself.

And,  
Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia!

Paranoia attack,  
Paranoia war,  
Paranoia seems like a bomb.

Paranoia threat,  
Paranoia fact,  
Paranoia drops bombs.

Bombs.

Paranoia.

The music continued for about 3 more minutes before it was over. The crowd cheered loudly and clapped.

**Zorpheus**: "Thanks! I think that's enough for tonight. See you all in a bit!"

**End of Chapter 2**

**Russ, Zorhpeus, Tom, Larry, and anyone else who is a part of Tom's crew **

**belong to Russbuster. Morien, Vladimir, and Alex are my characters. Everyone **

**else belongs to their rightful owners. If you are reading this Russ I hope I spelled**

**everyone's names correctly :/**


	3. Proving Grounds

**Chapter 3**

A large red tarp was placed over the organ outside, indicating it was the end of

the music for the evening. The massive crowd started to disperse with many people

looking for places to pitch tents to sleep for the evening. Others remained awake

and continued to casually party. The mood was less energetic but happy nonetheless.

Inside the Masaki home the newcomers, along with Tenchi, the girls, the Jurian Royalty,

Tom, Nagi, Russ and Zorpheus sat down in the living room. Nobuyuki was still outside

filming. They formed a large circle in the living room to trying to accommodate everyone.

Asuza, Misaki, and Funaho took the large sofa, Tenchi and Ryoko shared a recliner chair,

Tom and Nagi took another recliner, Russ and Ayeka shared the love seat, and everyone

else took a place on the floor. Washu fabricated a floating pillow in the shape of a crab

and took her place next to Morien. Unbeknownst to Morien and Washu, the energy from

their rings was now glowing due to their proximity. No one else had noticed until Sasami

caught a light from the side of her eye. She looked over at Washu and saw the ring and

didn't think much of it at first until she saw that Morien had the same ring. Realization

had come upon her and a smile came to her face but she didn't say anything. Ryoko looked

over at Sasami and wondered what she was looking at. When she looked over at Washu

and Morien a look of surprise came upon her face.

**Ryoko**: "You two over there. What's with your hands?"

Now everyone was looking over at Washu and Morien. Morien became nervous but hid it

well and kept his smile. Washu was looking over at Morien waiting for him to reveal the

secret. Kanta had something to say.

**Kanta**: "Say Fingerpaintings. Remember that time you cracked me in the nuts during

training and I said I would get you back?"

**Morien**: "Uhh…yeah why?"

**Kanta**: "Well I think I know how to get you back…EVERYONE! MORIEN AND WASHU ARE

MARRIED!"

Kanta stands up and runs out of the house. Everyone in the living room was in shock

and had their mouths wide open except Russ who already knew. All eyes were on

Morien and Washu now.

**Ayeka**: "Is this true?"

Morien stayed silent for a few seconds then spoke.

**Morien**: "Yeah. Surprise everyone. Washu and I have been married for a few years

now actually"

**Misaki**: "Well congratulations you two!"

**Tom**: "Yeah! I was not expecting to learn something like this tonight. Congrats!"

**Tenchi**: "Wait hold on a second. How come you kept this a secret? I mean Washu is

part of this family and there were no invitations"

**Washu**: "It wasn't a traditional wedding. It was at an alter in the center of the

Andromeda Galaxy"

**Ayeka**: "Wait…that one?"

Washu nods her head.

**Ayeka**: "Washu! That's where deities go to get married!"

**Morien**: "Deities? Did miss something?"

**Washu**: "All in due time, dear"

**Zorpheus**: "So will we be expecting children from you two?"

Now Morien and Washu revealed their nervousness. They both sweatdrop as well.

**Morien**: "We really haven't discussed that. I guess whatever happens, happens on that topic"

**Washu**: "Oh that reminds me, you have yet to meet your stepson"

**Morien**: "Yup, my stepson…wait WHAT?"

**Washu**: "Didn't I tell you?"

**Morien**: "No!"

**Washu**: "My son returned to me a little over a year ago thanks to Russ"

**Morien**: "I've gone a whole year and them some without knowing I had a stepson.

This is too weird!"

**Washu**: "I told you to expect the unexpected"

**Ryoko**: "In any case, you are now part of this crazy family, like it or not"

**Morien**: "Seems like nothing but adventure"

**Ryoko**: "You have no idea"

**Morien**: "So then…you're all okay with this?"

**Tenchi**: "Why wouldn't we be?" he said with a smile

**Morien**: "Just the fact I haven't seen most of you since we met years ago. But then

again I forgot how friendly and accepting everyone is…well almost everyone" he said

looking at Ryoko with a goofy smile.

**Ryoko**: "Hey now! I'm working on that. Now that I finally have my happiness, that is

Tenchi, I can accept just about anyone without too much worry. Even you Nagi"

Nagi smiled with red eyes looking out towards her.

**Asuza**: "So you're an earthling then?"

**Morien**: "Yes, Emperor"

**Asuza**: "*sigh* It's amazing really. My two daughters leave Jurai as well as Washu and

Ayeka and Washu both fall in love with two men not of Jurai. Oh tradition. Might as well

through it out the window. But I can see your happiness and that's all that really

matters to me now even if I'm still slowly getting used to it" he said looking at Russ who

responds with a smirk.

**Russ**: "You have to admit, Ayeka is in good hands"

**Asuza**: "Heh, that she is, Russ. That, she is" he smiles in approval.

**Morien**: "By the way, Ryoko, you said you had to fill us in with info. What was it?"

**Ryoko**: "Oh. Tenchi and I are engaged!"

**Morien**: "Well now it's my turn. Congrats to both of you! And I think to celebrate all that

has happened, why don't we do that challenge you brought up earlier?"

**Ryoko**: "Oh boxing?"

**Morien**: "Uh-huh"

**Ryoko**: "I'm game! Let's kick his ass Tenchi!"

**Tenchi**: "Ryoko, I really don't want…"

**Ryoko**: "Tenchi….."

She looks at him with almost glowing golden cat like eyes. It was a face he could not say

no to.

**Tenchi**: "This has 'regret' written all over it"

**Ryoko**: "By the way you need a drinking partner too"

**Morien**: "Well the one I had in mind ran away so…hmm"

He looks around the room and stops at the Emperor. He remembers what Misaki said

about him not being able to hold alcohol at all and he knew Tenchi himself was not a

drinker. Wanting this to be a fair bout he chose.

**Morien**: "Emperor Asuza. Would you like to be my drinking buddy?"

**Asuza**: "Really?"

**Morien**: "Sure. Why not?"

**Asuza**: "If you insist"

**Morien**: "To the kitchen table"

Everyone now stood up and made their way to the kitchen table.

**Zorpheus**: "Someone should go get Nobuyuki. This needs to be filmed!"

**Morien**: "Ok first we need beer. We can't play with heavy drinks or we'll be dead

after the first round. We also need a deck of cards. Here's how the game works.

Split the deck in half and give it to both teams. On person is the drinker while the other

pours shots. You both draw cards at the same time. The person with the lower card

drinks. Each round lasts a minute. After each round you alternate. If you spill you lose

automatically. And I think that's it if I remember correctly"

**Washu**: "I thought you said you've never played a drinking game"

**Morien**: "Yes, but remember where I live"

**Washu**: "Understood"

**Ryoko**: "Got it! I'm ready! Won't this be fun Tenchi?"

**Tenchi**: "Uhh…I'm not sure"

After several bottles of beer were brought to the table the game was ready.

**Ryoko**: "Ok, you go first Tenchi"

**Morien**: "Do you want to go first?"

**Asuza**: "Makes no difference to me"

**Morien**: "Ok so Tenchi will take on the Emperor"

Nobuyuki arrived just in time to film the game.

**Ayeka**: "Ok, ready….and go!"

Morien and Ryoko pour shots for their teammates while they drink quickly.

**Russ**: "This is more entertaining than watching video games"

**Zorpheus**: "I second that!"

Ayeka called time. Asuza looked normal but Tenchi was already turning a bit red.

**Ryoko**: "Come on Tenchi. Don't quit on me now!"

**Tenchi**: "All the pretty colors…"

**Morien**: "Ok. Ryoko, let's do this"

**Ryoko**: "Tenchi, you have to pour shots now"

Ayeka called time again and now Morien and Ryoko began taking shots while Asuza

and Tenchi poured. Time was called and the round was over.

**Morien**: "You feel anything?"

**Ryoko**: "Nope, nothing at all"

**Asuza**: "I have an idea. Why don't we move up to Zsinju Sake?"

**Morien**: "Sake? That could take its toll rather quickly"

**Asuza**: "It's a party dammit. I'd say we do sake because this beer is doing nothing"

**Tenchi**: "I disagree" he said wobbling

**Ryoko**: "I think Tenchi might die if we use sake"

**Morien**: "You can switch out at anytime"

**Ryoko**: "Is that so? Misaki! You can hold alcohol very well! Want to join?"

**Misaki**: "I would love to!"

**Asuza**: "Morien, we are screwed"

**Morien**: "Alex! Over here now!"

**Ryoko**: "Wait a minute. You can add more than 2 people per team?"

**Morien**: "As of now yes!"

**Ryoko**: "Ayeka! Join us!"

**Morien**: "Zorpheus!"

**Zorpheus**: "Roger that!"

**Ayeka**: "Russ?"

**Russ**: "No"

**Morien**: "Mihoshi!"

**Mihoshi**: "Yay! What am I doing?"

**Morien**: "You know what! New game! Last man standing! I'm sure you all know how

to play that!"

Funaho, Tom, Nagi, Vladimir, and Kiyone join the others on the table while Sasami, Washu,

and Russ stood by watching laughing slightly.

**Misaki**: "Bring on the sake please!"

Now the dinning room table started to get crowded as people moved in to watch the

game on the table. People started placing bets as to who would be the last person

remaining. Two of Tom's men assisted in pouring each competitor shots of sake. As they

poured each person took a drink. Upon his first drink Tenchi passed out but no one placed

bets on him. For the next few minutes the pattern of pouring and drinking continued.

Mihoshi was the next one to pass out followed by Kiyone. To everyone's surprise Morien

was the next one to pass out. Soon after Vladimir and Alex both passed out at the same

time. Minutes pass and Tom is the next one out, then Asuza. It was now Ayeka, Zorpheus,

the two Empresses, Ryoko, and Nagi. Zorpheus couldn't handle sake any longer and he

fell to the floor in a daze.

**Russ**: "Man, the women here are better drinkers than the men"

Ryoko and Nagi glared at each other.

**Nagi**: "I won't be….defeeeeeted by…you again…ugh"

**Ryoko**: "Watch me"

Ayeka soon joined the others passed out on the floor. Ryoko and Nagi were about to take

another drink but they dropped their shot glasses and at the same time both of them

collapsed on the table in front of them sending out a cheer from the crowd. The majority

of them placed bets on the two Empresses.

**Funaho**: "Well, I think that's good enough. What about you?"

**Misaki**: "Oh I suppose. We really should keep an eye on Asuza now that he's passed

out…again"

Everyone who was still conscience was amazed that neither Misaki nor Funaho

sounded drunk at all.

**Misaki**: "Now then. I'd say we help each one of these people to a bedroom and let

them rest for the night"

The crowd of Jurians and Tom's crew help the passed out individuals to a bedroom

or other place to rest.

* * *

Opening his eyes, Morien's vision was still blurry but it was still enough to tell him he was

not in his own bed. There were several pictures on a small desk of Tenchi and the gang and

all their activities throughout the years. He knew it was Washu's room. Looking for a clock,

he finds crab-shaped one which read 9:21am. Deciding it was too early he closes his eyes

and dozes off again. He woke up a second time feeling significantly better. This time the

clock read 1:38pm. Deciding it was time to get up, he stands and walks out of Washu's room.

The first thing he sees is Washu, doing what she normally does.

**Washu**: "Feeling better?" she said typing into a computer

**Morien**: "Yeah. My vision is still a bit blurry but I'll be fine. What about the others?"

**Washu**: "They'll be fine. As we speak, Tom and his crew are getting ready to leave as well

as the Jurian Royal Family"

**Morien**: "Where is Tom and his crew from?"

**Washu**: "Their ship up in space. According to Russ it was modeled exactly off of what he

called a Star Destroyer from Star Wars"

**Morien**: "That doesn't surprise me. Still, I bet it would be amazing to see in person. But

where do they go?"

**Washu**: "Not that far from here. The ship always stays close to earth unless he has a

reason to leave. And with some advanced technology that Tom has yet to tell me about,

his ship jams satellites so people here on earth can't detect the Gray Wolf up in space"

**Morien**: "I see. Then who stays here?"

**Washu**: "Just Russ and Zorpheus"

**Morien**: "And now that the party is over, what happens next?"

**Washu**: "Just the normal routine. About the only thing that has yet to be determined is

Tenchi and Ryoko's wedding date. You are more than welcome to stick around. In fact I

would prefer it"

**Morien**: "I suppose. Not like I have priorities in Germany other than to pay my bills. I'm

still surprised how well everyone took our secret. I will say though, bringing up the baby

part was a bit nerve racking"

Silence came between the two for a moment. Morien turned his head to see Washu

giving him a smirk with one eyebrow raised just like the first day she revealed to him

her adult form for the first time.

**Morien**: "What?"

**Washu**: "Do you want to?"

**Morien**: "Washu? Really?"

**Washu**: "I'll gladly bear your child"

**Morien**: "What would your son think if he found out he was about to have a sister

or a brother?"

**Washu**: "I'm sure he would be in shock but still accept it with cheerful eagerness"

**Morien**: "When do I get to meet him?"

**Washu**: "I'm not sure. He does keep in contact on a regular basis so when he does

call I will let you know. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out

he has a stepfather"

**Morien**: "One that sticks out like a sore thumb"

**Washu**: "And the rest of us don't?"

**Morien**: "Touché. I'm going to go to the house and see what's happening there. Oh,

did you see where Kanta and Junko ended up?"

**Washu**: "I think they went back to your place to sleep. I'm sure they will be back at

Tenchi's place as well later on today"

**Morien**: "And what about you? I hope you're not planning on trapping yourself in here

for the rest of the day"

**Washu**: "I'll join you guys soon. Go be social"

Morien finds his way out of Washu's lab and steps into the Masaki living room where

Zorpheus and Sasami are playing video games. Zorpheus turns around once he hears

the door open.

**Zorpheus**: "Yo. How ya feeling?"

**Morien**: "I'm still kind of dizzy. I knew sake was going to be a bad idea. How are

you functioning properly?"

**Zorpheus**: "I'm a pro I guess. You've actually recovered fast. Everyone else that drank

last night who lives here is still out and it's almost 2pm. Tom and his crew left not too

long ago as well as the Juraian Royal Family"

**Morien**: "So it's going to be a lazy day"

**Zorpheus**: "Pretty much. You should hop in at some point here. This kid here keeps

kicking my butt"

Sasami giggles.

**Morien**: "Is this Smash Brothers Brawl?"

**Zorpheus**: "Yup"

**Morien**: "I love that game! I typically use Olimar, Meta-Knight, or Wolf"

**Zorpheus**: "You use Olimar? I think he sucks"

**Morien**: "Not how I use him"

Soon the match was over on the television. Sasami had beat Zorpheus yet again

and now Morien grabbed a controller.

**Morien**: "You two mind if we reduce the gravity?"

**Sasami**: "Sure. In fact I like playing that mode"

After changing the settings, each player chooses a character. Sasami chose Link,

Zorpheus picked Donkey Kong, and Morien selected Olimar. They picked a map at

random and the timer counted down. With eyes now focused on the television each

player proceeds to battle each other quickly pressing buttons and sending out attacks.

Morien's dizziness was making it difficult to focus and was defeated in minutes leaving

just Zorpheus and Sasami. Soon after Donkey Kong was knocked off the screen

declaring Sasami the winner again.

**Morien**: "You're really good at that"

**Sasami**: "Thanks!"

**Zorpheus**: "I think she's cheating" he teased

**Sasami**: "Maybe I am" she said sticking her tongue out at him

**Morien**: "Actually the real cheaters are on first person shooters like Halo and Call of Duty"

**Zorpheus**: "So I've heard"

**Morien**: "Anyways, once my head is a bit clearer I will play with you guys maybe

later on tonight. I need some fresh air"

**Sasami**: "Ok. See you later!"

**Zorpheus**: "Take it easy"

Morien slides open the door and walks until he comes to the middle of a field. All

around were marks in the ground where people were the night before. Finding a

small spot that wasn't pressed down he sets himself on the grass then lies down

facing upwards at the mostly clear blue sky. The wind was calm and the afternoon

sunlight pressed warmly against his skin as he took in the scene. Up above a small

aircraft and its contrail caught his eye and he followed it until it disappeared above

a cloud. Closing eyes for a few minutes the dizzy spell was slowly ebbing away. His

thoughts were becoming clearer and it did not hurt to think as much. His attention

was diverted by the sound of a rather loud engine. Sitting up he looks towards the

direction of the sound which was blocked by trees. Then from above the canopy a large

spacecraft of unknown type rose upwards. It looked like cannons were at each corner.

It picked up speed and made its way skyward disappearing from view in a matter of

seconds. With eyes wide open Morien was trying to figure out what he just saw. Then

about a minute later Russ came from the same direction between the trees. He spots

Morien, who looks surprised, and walks over to converse.

**Morien**: "What was that?"

**Russ**: "That was one of Tom's transport ships taking the last of his crew back to his ship"

They both look up in the air.

**Morien**: "A transport ship? Were all those guns necessary?"

Russ chuckles.

**Russ**: "Tom likes to be prepared. One of these days you should come up to his ship

and you'll see what I mean"

**Morien**: "Washu told me it was modeled after a Star Destroyer from Star Wars"

**Russ**: "Yup"

**Morien**: "The exact size?"

**Russ**: "Yup!"

Morien now stands up and faces Russ.

**Morien**: "Holy shit. Now you've really got my curiosity at its peak"

**Russ**: "The family has planned a trip up there in a few days come to think of it. You

should join us"

**Morien**: "Most certainly"

**Russ**: "And you can bring your friends too"

**Morien**: "Speaking of which, I lost track of them after I blacked out last night.

Apparently Kanta and Junko found their way to my home but I have no idea

where Alex and Vladimir are"

**Russ**: "They actually slept on the dining room floor. When everyone else was

taken to a place to rest after passing out they ran out of space so they just

left them alone on the dining room floor. Of course we gave both of them

blankets and pillows"

**Morien**: "That's actually hilarious. So everyone else is still passed out?"

**Russ**: "More or less. I placed Ayeka on my bed then I slept on my futon.

It was difficult sleeping since I'm now used to sharing my bed with her"

**Morien**: "A thought just occurred to me. Ayeka is a princess right?"

**Russ**: "Correct"

**Morien**: "Does she plan on going back and taking her place on the throne"

**Russ**: "Provided that I go with her, yes"

**Morien**: "Then what would that make you?"

**Russ**: "Ah, that's where I thought this was going. She wants me to rule

the empire with her but I feel I am not fit to rule. She was born into royalty

and I'm just a Saiyin"

**Morien**: "I see. And what is a Saiyin if you don't mind me asking?"

**Russ**: "Not at all. Saiyins are a warrior class race. The lineage that I come

from was rejected from our home planet right before it was destroyed. They

settled on another planet which was successfully colonized and exists to

this day. We resemble human beings but we are thousands of times stronger

in comparison. Well, most of them. You seem to be a great exception and

on that note do you mind if I get a power reading from you?"

**Morien**: "I suppose but with what?"

Russ pulls out a small device with a blue lens and places it on his ear.

**Morien**: "Did you break your glasses there, buddy?"

Russ laughs.

**Russ**: "No. This is called a scouter. It measures different power levels. It's

supposed to have just one lens"

Russ presses a button and the device beeps a few times. His face went

into confusion.

**Russ**: "That's odd. It says unknown. I can feel with my mind you have

energy but the scouter is not reading it"

**Morien**: "Damn. I actually wanted to know"

**Russ**: "Of course there is one way we can find out"

**Morien**: "Does it involve combat"

**Russ**: "It sure does" he said with a smile

**Morien**: "Fantastic. I get to have my ass kicked to find out what my power level is"

**Russ**: "What do you say?"

**Morien**: "I suppose" he said with slight apprehension

**Russ**: "Don't worry. I'll start out at a low power; the same as Zorpheus

when he fought you"

**Morien**: "Well, alright then"

**Russ**: "Just one moment"

Russ transforms his clothes changing from casual to a green training outfit

similar to that of his hero, Goku.

**Russ**: "Much better. Are you sure you want to fight with what you're wearing?"

**Morien**: "I guess I don't want my Chevelle shirt ruined. It's rather rare"

Taking off his shirt he reveals his array of tattoos running as a sleeve

from his left arm all the way to his abdomen ending at a spider. Not to

mention he was well built and while Russ was bigger in muscle mass, Morien

was built better than the average male, always having the opposite sex

doing double takes when he walked by them on the streets, unnoticed by him.

**Russ**: "Interesting tattoo collection"

**Morien**: "Thanks"

**Russ**: "What does the spider mean?"

**Morien**: "When my grandfather passed away I heard a song that reminded

me of him and this spider was the logo for that band. It commemorates him"

**Russ**: "Very nice. Shall we begin then?"

**Morien**: "By my guest"

**Russ**: "For the first test, before we really begin, I'm going to fire a low

powered energy blast at you. But it's just to test you out"

**Morien**: "Ok"

Morien backs up several feet from Russ taking a defensive stance, while

Russ extends his hand out towards him. A blue energy ball fires right out

of Russ's hands and aims right at Morien but once it reaches him he easily

swats it away landing in the woods creating a small explosion. The impact

could be felt inside the house.

**Sasami**: "What was that?" she asked looking out the window concerned.

In addition everyone who was passed out was woken up by the small tremor.

Back outside Morien responds by firing his own energy at Russ but Russ easily

dodges it moving along the grass. He stops and looks right into Morien's face.

**Russ**: "Not bad. Are you ready now?"

**Morien**: "Before we do, your tie defender is not around here is it?"

**Russ**: "Nope. I appreciate the concern though"

**Morien**: "I'm ready then"

Feeling an adrenaline rush, Morien puts himself back in a defensive stand

lowering himself to the ground with fists in front of him. Russ takes to the

air but only a few feet above the ground. The two stare at each other for a

few moments waiting for someone to make a move.

**Morien**: "Oh screw it"

He runs full force at Russ with a huge swing of the fist but Russ moves his

head. Morien stops and Russ sends an elbow jab in Morien's direction but he

counters with a block. Morien then turns around and sends out small punches

but Russ mirrors each one of his attacks with a defense to match each offense.

Russ turned the tables but Morien also put up an amazing defense. Both men

back away from each other and stop. Neither one is winded.

**Russ**: "Off the bat, you're a lot better than I thought"

**Morien**: "I'm surprising myself. And you really know your combat"

**Russ**: "Can you fly?"

**Morien**: "No"

**Russ**: "Good"

Russ flies about 30 feet into the air and fires another energy blast. Morien was

about to swat this blast away but thinking it was what Russ wanted him to do,

he dodges right and just as he expected Russ came down with a swift kick. Morien

catches his leg and slams him into the ground with tremendous force creating a

Russ imprint in the grass. Morien backs away as Russ quickly gets back up. Not

wasting time Morien runs to a near by tree, jumps on it sideways, squats down,

then thrusts himself forward, breaking the tree under the force. Like a human

cannon ball he aims at Russ but at the last second Russ puts his fist up and kissed

Morien's face with it. Only laying face first on the ground for a second Morien gets

up. Neither opponent was breaking a sweat or scarred.

**Morien**: "In retrospect that was a bad idea"

**Russ**: "Happens to all of us. Now I'd say we step up the level a bit"

Morien stood with a straight face wondering what he meant by next level.

**Russ**: "Kaio-Ken!"

A flash of red energy surrounds Russ sending wind in all directions, breaking

weaker leaves off of the nearby trees. Undaunted, Morien looks on wondering

how this next bout was going to turn out.

**Morien**: "Interesting. You could light up a rave party with that"

Russ smiled but didn't respond. As Morien waited he felt time starting to slow

down. The red energy around Russ seemed to be coming out now at a much

slower rate.

**Morien**: "It's happening again"

Slower, but not by much, Russ comes at Morien. Having plenty of time watching

his attacker approach, he gets on the ground in a push-up stance. Once Russ is

just inches overhead, Morien pushes upward hitting Russ hard in the abdomen,

launching him skyward. Out in the distance Ayeka and Washu watch the fight

sitting on the grass.

**Ayeka**: "I hate to say it, Washu, but I don't think this will last much longer" she

said proudly.

**Washu**: "Never underestimate the work of a genius"

**Ayeka**: "What do you mean?"

**Washu**: "Yes Morien's power came from a terrorist attack but I added my special

dose of Washu science. Morien is a lot stronger than he looks"

**Ayeka**: "In that case let the best man win…COME ON RUSS! YOU CAN DO IT!"

Washu just smiled and looked on. Russ overhead Ayeka's cheers which sent a

smile to his face while looking down at Morien.

**Morien**: "It seems we fans now"

**Russ**: "That it does. The intermission is over though"

Morien decided to go on the offense and jumped upwards towards Russ. Back and

forward Russ and Morien exchange punches and kicks while defending until they

reached the ground again. Morien lands on his back and Russ places his foot on his

bare chest pinning him to the ground. Morien struggles to get up but no avail. Then

he spots Russ's other foot just close enough to attack. Bringing his right arm up he

brings his fist down very hard on Russ's foot causing him to yell in pain and release

his hold. Morien pushes him up then quickly grabs his neck. While keeping his hands

clutched around Russ's neck he front flips over him then overhead throws Russ right

back into the ground causing it to break sending large clouds of dust to disperse.

Ayeka gasps in disbelief.

**Ayeka**: "I can't believe this is happening"

**Washu**: "Russ is just getting started, Ayeka, as much as I hate to say it. There is

still one more test Morien will have to face and I believe it's coming right up"

**Ayeka**: "You mean?"

**Washu**: "Yup. Just watch"

From the dust cloud Morien sees the silhouette of Russ standing up. When the dust

clears Russ is no longer in Kaio-Ken. His outfit had several dirt stains.

**Russ**: "That was cheap"

**Morien**: "I didn't see any other way out"

**Russ**: "I'm not saying that was bad. Sometimes a dirty move is the only option. Nice

job there. Are you ready for the last test then?"

**Morien**: "Bring it!"

Russ stands still. The broken pieces of the ground around him start to rise into the

air. Morien raises an eyebrow. Russ's black eyes start to flash blue and his spiky hair

stands up as it turns a golden yellow.

**Morien**: "Uh-oh"

With a grunt he transforms in a Super Saiyin.

**Morien**: "Great. Not this shit again!"

Now slightly concerned he makes another defensive stance. In no time Russ comes

at him very quickly. Morien dodges but Russ comes at him with a second blow hitting

Morien right in the center of the chest. Morien flies back breaking several trees but

quickly recovers. Suddenly time slows down for him again. He took this opportunity

to rush out of the woods and try to get on the offensive. Even with his advantage

he was having trouble laying a punch on Russ. Not to mention the blinding light from

Russ's Super Saiyin form was blinding him slightly. But Morien was able to dodge a

few of the punches and kicks that Russ sent out. With time going even slower now

Morien sees an opening and with all his might he throws out a huge punch landing

dead center into Russ's face. Closing his eyes, for a brief second he thought he finally

had him. That thought went away when Morien felt a very sharp pain going down

the arm he just punched Russ with. Opening his eyes he saw that Russ's eyes were

still open, looking right at him.

**Morien**: "Did you even feel that?"

**Russ**: "Nope!" he said with a more sinister smile

**Morien**: "That felt like hitting a steel wall" he said holding his arm.

Morien snapped out of it and now went for a massive kick but with the exact same

result. Now his leg felt injured after delivering the kick to Russ. Tending to his leg,

Morien sees Russ's legs stop right in front of him then looks up. It looked like Russ's

blue eyes were looking right into his soul about to tear it out.

**Russ**: "Just remember: it's not over until it's over"

**Morien**: "You're going to hit me again, aren't you?"

**Russ**: "Yup"

**Morien**: "Before you do let me tell you this: You say you don't want to rule an

empire yet you seem to display power that cannot be matched in this galaxy. Maybe even

the universe. And you don't want to become emperor of Jurai? I would strongly

reconsider. You have the allure of an excellent ruler"

**Russ**: "I'll give it some thought"

**Morien**: "Okay. You can punch me now"

Rather than using a punch, Russ uses a simple back hand right across the face.

**Morien**: "OOF!"

Morien sails across the grassy field watching the trees go by at hundreds of miles

per hour. He impacts the hill next to where Washu and Ayeka are sitting. A massive

chunk of earth hurled outwards towards one of the nearby mountains as he hit it.

Ayeka and Washu both cover their eyes with their hands to prevent dust from getting

in. To their shock and awe, Morien was standing up when the dust cleared.

**Washu**: "You're actually standing?" she asked keeping her mouth open

**Morien**: "Don't let it fool you. I hurt everywhere. I think I'm done here. I sure as hell

cannot take on Russ at that stage. That dude is one hell of a fighter. You sure picked

the right man Ayeka"

Ayeka smiled but was still concerned over Morien's condition. Soon Russ rushed

over, not in Super Saiyin form anymore.

**Russ**: "Hey, you okay?"

**Morien**: "Yeah. That hurt like a bitch but I had fun"

**Russ**: "Sorry about that"

**Morien**: "No need to be sorry. It was a fight. Pain will always happen. You live with

it and move on. I think a nice hot shower is in order"

**Washu**: "Actually, one of the few things we didn't show you the first time you were

here was our bathhouse, the Onsen"

**Morien**: "That sounds perfect right now. Some solitary time in hot water"

**Washu**: "I wouldn't say solitary" she said eyeing his bare upper body.

**Morien**: "I like where this is going"

Russ and Ayeka chuckle.

**Russ**: "You two have fun with that. And Morien. Nice job"

**Morien**: "Same to you. You need to train me, man!"

**Russ**: "We start tomorrow then"

The two couples make their way to the house. Washu shows Morien the Onsen, how

to get in, and then Morien enters. The Onsen was a floating dome about half the

size of a soccer stadium. The outside looked like a giant floating rock with a huge

dome over it and water coming out the sides. But on the inside Morien, discovered it

resembled a tropical rainforest. The sound of water flowing was soothing and the pool

of hot water was surrounding. In nothing but his boxers he set himself down in the

water letting out a sigh of relaxation.

**Kanta**: "Isn't this great?"

**Morien**: "Yeah it is…whoa…WHAT THE HELL?"

**Kanta**: "Oh it's you"

**Morien**: "Why are you here?"

**Kanta**: "I've been trapped up here. When I ran away from you guys yesterday I

was going to jump into the pond but I ended up in here and couldn't figure out

how to get down"

**Morien**: "So you slept up here instead?"

**Kanta**: "Yeah. Anyways this is getting weird so I think I'm going to leave"

**Washu**: "That's probably best"

Washu appears with a pink towel wrapped around her. Morien looks very happy.

**Kanta**: "I take my leave. Don't make a huge mess in here!"

Washu points out the direction of the exit and he departs.

**Morien**: "I'm curious as to what you look like in a bathing suit?"

**Washu**: "What bathing suit?"

Morien raised an eyebrow. Washu throws off her towel revealing she wasn't wearing

much of anything. In fact she was nude. Morien was now even happier.

**Washu**: "Mind if I join you?" she asked seductively.

**Morien**: "Like you have to ask"

Slowly making her way into the water she dips down until the water is up to her

neck. Once she reaches Morien she climbs up placing her breasts on his chest and

wraps her arms around his neck. Morien couldn't contain himself.

**Washu**: "Well, someone's happy to see me"

**Morien**: "Now, how could you tell?"

She smirks at him.

**Washu**: "So, what do you think?"

**Morien**: "This place is amazing"

**Washu**: "I wasn't talking about this place, although I do agree"

**Morien**: "Then what…oh…"

Once she sees he took the hint she raises an eyebrow, still smirking at him.

**Morien**: "Up here? Won't that make a mess?"

**Washu**: "There's a reason why there's water flowing out from here down into the

pond below"

**Morien**: "Wait…people were swimming in that yesterday"

**Washu**: "What they don't know won't hurt them…much"

**Morien**: "That's evil" he said laughing

**Washu**: "Don't worry. There is a self cleaning filter system in here so the pond

water is perfectly fine. Now back to the topic at hand"

**Morien**: "You seem rather eager to have another child"

**Washu**: "Yes I am. I never got to experience raising my own child since he was

taken away. I'd give anything for a brand new start"

**Morien**: "Ok"

They stay in the same spot for a few moments.

**Washu**: "So?"

Morien places his hands on her chest as she leans her head back, letting out a

moan of pleasure. For the next hour or two they spend their time in a world

of pleasure.

* * *

Back in the house, everyone who was passed out was now awake and functioning

normally. Nobuyuki was on the couch reading a newspaper while everyone else was

conversing with one another.

**Kiyone**: "You and Morien actually fought each other?" she asked in shock

**Russ**: "Yeah. He was tough in the beginning. He even beat me into the ground a

few times. Of course, once I went Super Saiyin it was pretty much over for him. But

he has a lot of potential. I can see him becoming as strong as a Super Saiyin or

higher if he tried"

**Ayeka**: "Are you serious?"

**Russ**: "Oh yes. Even you could Ayeka. Once you have energy you just need to know

how to build it through intense training"

**Tenchi**: "That's insane. You're saying there could be 3 of you potentially?"

**Russ**: "In a few years yes. But like I said. If you all work at it you could become

much stronger"

**Mihoshi**: "I feel so left out"

**Zorpheus**: "It's okay babe. That's what I'm for"

**Mihoshi**: "Oh you" she grabs him by his hips and hugs tightly. Kiyone watched in

envy. Kanta and Junko enter the living room from Washu's lab along with Vladimir

and Alex. They take seats wherever there are open spots.

**Russ**: "Hey guys. How you all doing?"

**Kanta**: "Better now that I'm back on land again"

Everyone laughed since they now knew he was trapped in the Onsen all night.

**Zorpheus**: "It's amazing you're not a prune"

**Kanta**: "Living in the desert, I think, has made my skin repel water entirely"

**Russ**: "You're from a desert?"

**Kanta**: "Yup. Junko here and myself are from the same desert only it's about 3000

years ahead of this time. I fell into a portal, which I later found out was created by

Washu, and by chance landed in this time. After comparing the two it was no contest

and we've been living here ever since.

**Zorpheus**: "So what are your specialties?"

**Kanta**: "Weapons and martial arts"

**Zorpheus**: "Oh yeah. I remember when you beat the crap out of a few of Tom's crew

members"

**Junko**: "He was actually fighting for me. That's just too sweet!"

She grabs both of his cheeks pulling them softly. He responds with a smile.

**Russ**: "I was telling your friend earlier that in a few days we are going to visit Tom

on his ship. You 4 are more than welcome to come"

**Kanta**: "You mean I get to be in outer space?"

**Russ**: "You sure do"

**Kanta**: "I never dreamed that would ever happen. Count me in! What about you guys?"

Junko, Alex, and Vladimir nod in agreement. From across the room Kiyone gets a

good look at Vladimir for the first time and she likes what she sees but becomes

a bit nervous when she thinks about talking to him. Sasami pokes her head out of

the kitchen.

**Sasami**: "Oh hey guys. Dinner will be ready in a little less than an hour now so don't

go too far…or else" she giggles.

**Junko**: "That is one cute kid"

**Kanta**: "Where's Fingerpaintings at?"

**Russ**: "Who?"

**Kanta**: "Morien"

**Russ**: "Oh. He's in the Onsen. If I remember right so is Washu. Someone should

let them know dinner will be ready soon"

**Kanta**: "Hell no. I'd hate to think of what those two are doing in there"

Everyone turns red at the awkward thought.

**Zorpheus**: "Ok fine. I'll do it. Someone has to."

**Morien**: "Do what?"

Out of nowhere Morien appears out of thin air sitting next to Kanta and Junko. He

now wore a plain white sleeveless shirt with green military cargo pants but same

combat boots.

**Mihoshi**: "That was a neat trick!"

**Kiyone**: "I don't think that was a trick. How did you do that?"

**Morien**: "My speed"

**Russ**: "I remember that. Even as a Super Saiyin it was tough to hit you at first"

**Morien**: "Well at least now I can't feel that pimp smack on my face"

They both laugh.

**Ayeka**: "Well in case you hadn't heard, dinner will be ready soon"

**Morien**: "Thanks. I cannot wait! I'm famished!"

**Ayeka**: "Wait until you see how Russ and Zorpheus eat"

**Morien**: "Do I want to know?"

**Zorpheus**: "You might get a laugh out of it"

**Morien**: "Well don't touch my food then"

**Russ**: "You better keep an eye on it then"

**Morien**: "Sounds like a challenge"

**Ayeka**: "Now boys. Let's try to keep this proper"

**Russ**: "I was just kidding dear"

**Morien**: "I bet he was" he said whispering to Zorpheus who snickered in response

Soon dinner had come. The table had to be extended to make room but everyone

was able to find a spot. The dinner table was decorated with delicious food that

Sasami had prepared. The smell created watering mouths in from everyone. Everyone

took their places around the table and dinner began.

**End of Chapter 3**

**Russ and Zorpheus are Saiyins. Saiyins are from Dragonball, DragonBall Z, and Dragonball GT. Please support the official releases. **


	4. Serenity

**Chapter 4**

**(Check out my profile if you want to see what the jets look like)**

**2 days later:**

In the skies just off and above the Japanese coast 3 fighter jets, in a perfect triangular

formation, were in a training exercise with Japanese Government approval. A black and

maroon Su-34 piloted by Commander Junko Asagiri, and two black Su-37's, piloted by

Colonials Alexander Puzunkas and Vladimir Franz, flew over a thick cloud bank staying in

perfect level flight. The early evening setting sun was now painting the cloud layer bright

pink as the 3 jets flew just several feet above. They flew southbound as the sun lit up

the right side of each aircraft.

**Alex**: "The view from up here never gets old"

**Junko**: "And according to Russ we are venturing into space in a few days. I can only

imagine the view from there"

**Alex**: "We sure got lucky being your wingmen. I didn't think the benefits would extend this far"

**Junko**: "Same. Leaving the desert behind was probably the best decision I've made.

Well, that and Kanta"

**Alex**: "On that topic, what are you two? Are you two seriously involved or not?"

**Junko**: "We're something. We'll leave it at that"

**Alex**: "But commander"

**Junko**: "Enough. I don't ask questions about your wife, Alexander"

**Alex**: "Sorry. I didn't know it was a sensitive subject"

**Junko**: "It's not sensitive. I just like to keep people guessing. Like Morien did except he

failed miserably"

**Alex**: "I'm not sure I would call that a failure considering everyone approved almost immediately"

**Junko**: "I suppose"

Junko looks out towards the setting sun.

**Junko**: "How did I get this lucky? Just myself and my jet. Sure life can be better but not

by much. Vladimir? You're awfully quiet over there"

**Vladimir**: "Oh, sorry commander. I was just in thought"

**Junko**: "I understand. Care to share?"

**Vladimir**: "It's umm…about Kiyone"

**Junko**: "Kiyone?"

**Alex**: "Sounds like someone has a hard on for the blue-haired chick"

**Vladimir**: "Hey, shut the hell up!"

**Junko**: "Alex, please stop that. So, Vladimir, you like her then?"

**Vladimir**: "I think she's beautiful. That day when Morien and Russ fought; I remember

walking in and once I sat down I looked over at her and we locked eyes for just a few

seconds. It was in those few seconds I realized how amazing she looked. Her eyes were

like the sun reflecting off a priceless gem. But then she looked away. She didn't seem very happy"

**Junko**: "That's called shyness. I guess she's one of those types. You should talk to her"

**Vladimir**: "I'm a bit nervous"

**Junko**: "You can fly a fighter jet, not to mention you'll put your life on the line for your

country, but you won't go talk to a woman? What do you have to lose?"

**Vladimir**: "The chance of a lifetime"

**Junko**: "You're throwing away the chance of a lifetime by not saying anything Vladimir.

You're a good looking guy. When you see her, just talk to her. It's easy"

**Vladimir**: "Easy for someone who is involved to say"

**Junko**: "It's either that or you just let her slip by"

**Vladimir**: "Fine. I'll…do it"

**Alex**: "Commander! I'm picking up two objects on radar"

**Junko**: "Ugh! It better not be the Japanese government. We have permission to be here"

The two objects pull along side the trio. They looked like aircraft or spacecraft modeled

after a certain science fiction movie. Junko looks out through the canopy with both eyes

open wide.

**Junko**: "What in the hell are those things?"

**Russ**: "Fancy meeting you two up here"

**Junko**: "Russ?"

**Zorpheus**: "Yeah, what are the odds we'd bump into you three?"

Now joining the formation was Russ's Tie Defender and Zorpheus's Toscan Fighter flying

along side the Su-34 and the two Su-37s. It was something to behold.

**Junko**: "What if someone catches you two up here?"

**Russ**: "Don't worry. We have jamming equipment that reflects signals away from the

places we don't want them to come from"

**Junko**: "Then how did you know it was us?"

**Zorpheus**: "We actually picked up the conversation you guys were having long before we made

visual contact. Apparently someone has the hots for Kiyone"

**Vladimir**: "Oh great. Now 4 of you are going to be riding my ass about this"

**Russ**: "I would just listen to what your commander says and leave it at that"

**Junko**: "So now I'm a commander to you eh?"

**Russ**: "I can respect a person of higher power or ranking"

**Junko**: "In that case, thanks"

**Zorpheus**: "What brings you guys out here?"

**Junko**: "We're shaking out the cobwebs from not being in the cockpit for a while. That

and we're also moving our jets to a base in Okinawa so they can be closer. Now, why

are you two out here?"

**Russ**: "Oddly enough, about the same reason, Commander. With the thick cloud layer

Zorpheus and I wanted to see how our spacecraft would handle blinding conditions. Then

your conversation came through to our transmissions and we followed it to where you 3 were at"

**Alex**: "Where are your ships from?"

**Russ**: "They were built by my friend Tom. Since we are all Star Wars nuts he wanted to

create his own fleet of Star Wars ships. The rest kind of speaks for itself"

**Alex**: "The entire world would have a field day if they saw those"

**Junko**: "I wouldn't be so sure. I mean the world knows who Morien is now but no one

is reacting in an extreme matter. Not yet anyways"

**Zorpheus**: "So he's like a celebrity?"

**Junko**: "Yeah. He hates it a lot but he should have thought of that before he made that

announcement to the world. Still, most major world conflicts have now ended as a result"

**Russ**: "Wait, so he was like a vigilante then?"

**Junko**: "No. After the Windy City Campaign everyone was afraid he would stop all the

world's wars by himself. Even though he's perfectly capable of doing so he opted against

it saying that he wanted people to solve their own problems. It was the fear that he might

change his mind which finally allowed for peace to settle throughout much of the world"

**Russ**: "Then why are you still pilots?"

**Junko**: "Because from every calm, a storm will come. Call us peacekeepers if you will. Since

you two seem to have superior technology I would love for you two to become part of the

Foxhound Guild. We could use two…space…thingies"

**Zorpheus**: "That's a tough choice. It's either you or Tom"

**Russ**: "Zorph. We really don't work for Tom. We just assist him and vice versa. I would like

to join but I don't know how much longer I'm going to be on earth. Once Ayeka decides to

go back to Jurai to prepare to take her role as Empress I'm going with her"

**Junko**: "And that would make you the Emperor right?"

**Russ**: "Uhh…"

**Zorpheus**: "He always does this. Yes, Junko…I mean commander. That will make him

Emperor, right Russ?"

**Russ**: "Can we talk about something else?"

**Junko**: "Actually we need to save it. The sun is almost down now and the cloud bank is not

letting up. We should land now while there is still a bit of light left. This is just a 'training'

exercise after all. We will see you guys when we get back to Tenchi's house"

**Russ**: "Sounds good!"

**Zorpheus**: "Have a safe landing you guys!"

The two Star Wars spacecraft split and head back north. Junko then gets in contact with

the Okinawa Air Base.

**Junko**: "Okinawa Base, this is call sign _Phoenix_. Our original flight path was taking us to

your base but we would like to divert elsewhere"

**Okinawa**: "Call sign _Phoenix_, roger that. Okayama is the nearest airport"

**Junko**: "Copied that. Making flight plan to divert to Okayama"

**Okinawa**: "_Phoenix_, contact Okayama approach on 114.3, over"

**Junko**: "114.3, call sign _Phoenix_, roger. Have a good evening"

The three jets descend through the cloud bank, using instruments to guide them for an

ILS approach at Okayama Airport. Once they break through the clouds they see the lights

of the airport runway. Making an easy touchdown the 3 jets taxi to vacant lots and shut

down. The presence of the three Russian-made jets turns many heads in and from around

the airport as they were not expecting jets to land at a civilian airport. Their canopies open

and wearing their black flight suits with gray helmets they climb down and are greeted

by the airport security.

**Guard**: "Did you have permission to land here?"

**Junko**: "I was cleared by the tower to land"  
**Guard**: "One moment"

The guard radios the control tower asking about confirmation since fighter jets rarely

land at Okayama. Once the control tower confirms he looks back at Junko.

**Guard**: "You are cleared. Have a nice evening"

The guard walks into his security van and drives away. The thick cloud layer and the

setting sun were making it darker outside. The city lights painted bottom of the cloud layer orange

as the nightlights were starting to turn on.

**Alex**: "How do we get back to Tenchi's place?"

**Junko**: "Patience. I have Washu's portal device which will get us there instantly"

With the touch of a button the 3 individuals turn a blue color then disappear from sight.

They reappear on a trail leading back to the Masaki home just as Tenchi was walking by carrying a

load of carrots from the field. It was even darker here without the lights of the city to illuminate the evening sky.

**Tenchi**: "Oh hello. I see you three just came from a days work. Just in time too because

I think dinner will be ready in a bit"

**Junko**: "Sounds good. Gentlemen, go change your attire and meet back in the living

room in 30 minutes"

**Alex and Vladimir**: "Yes madam" they salute and Junko salutes back.

**Tenchi**: "I never did ask. They work for you?"

**Junko**: "Not work necessarily but they do answer to me. They're my wingmen"

**Tenchi**: "Weren't they the ones dancing on our roof during the party?"

**Junko**: "That they were. It's amazing how those two goof-balls are expert pilots. And

speaking of pilots Russ and Zorpheus flew with our formation with their spacecraft.

What a sight that was"

**Tenchi**: "Wait until you see Tom's ship in a few days"

**Junko**: "I'm sure it will blow my mind. Anyway, let's go eat something"

**Tenchi**: "Right behind you"

Inside the Masaki home Russ and Ayeka were on the sofa. On the television was one

of Ayeka's favorite soap operas. Russ read an electronics magazine as soap operas did

not tickle his fancy. The front door slid open. Alex and Vladimir walked in followed by

Tenchi and Junko a few seconds after. From an overhead beam a certain former space

pirate flew down towards Tenchi with happiness radiating from her face.

**Ryoko**: "Tenchi! You're home!"

**Tenchi**: "Ryoko! Wait…!"

She slams into him and they both go down in a heap on the floor. Everyone around

laughs at the antics by the front entrance. After a few seconds Tenchi stands up and

brushes himself off.

**Tenchi**: "You would think I'd get used to that. It's nice to see you too Ryoko"

**Ryoko**: "Here, let me take your jacket for you"

**Tenchi**: "It's okay, Ryoko. I have it but thank you though"

Tenchi walks upstairs with Ryoko floating closely behind. Everyone else resumes what

they were doing.

**Junko**: "Has anyone seen Kanta?"

**Ayeka**: "Kanta left with Morien to the city. I believe they were going to a music store"

**Junko**: "They both went? I didn't think they got along that well"

**Russ**: "Kanta actually seemed happy to going to the music store. I was going to go with

them but then I decided to work on my Tie Defender along with Zorpheus. They should be

back soon before dinner"

**Junko**: "He better be"

Junko walks into a vacant room on the main floor to change.

**Russ**: "She sounds like someone I know"

**Ayeka**: "I do not sound like her…do I?"

**Russ**: "Sometimes. It's adorable though so it's quite alright"

Ayeka smiles then grabs his right arm holding it closely while she watched the television.

Minutes pass when Alex and Vladimir walk into the living room taking a seat in both of

the recliners.

**Alex**: "It seems much emptier today"

**Russ**: "Tenchi and Ryoko are upstairs. Zorpheus is taking a nap. Mihoshi and Kiyone are

on patrol and won't be back until late tonight. Sasami is cooking. Kanta and Morien are

out somewhere and I want to say Washu is in her lab but I'm not sure."

**Alex**: "I see. So could you tell me more about your fighter"

Russ puts down his magazine.

**Russ**: "Sure. What would you like to know?"

**Alex**: "What kind of weapons does it use?"

**Russ**: "Lasers. Various types of lasers"

**Vladimir**: "No bullets or missiles?"

**Russ**: "No. And plus my ship has shields. If the shields weren't working your missiles

might do damage but the bullets would just bounce off"

**Alex**: "I bet Morien's chaingun could do plenty of damage. Washu said it could rip through

the shield of a Jurian warship. Whatever those are"

**Ayeka**: "Jurians are my people" she said with eyes still on the television

**Alex**: "Oh"

**Russ**: "I will have to see this weapon at some point. But anyways. That's really about

all I can say. Tom is the one who knows how it was built, what type of metal it's made

out of, and the engine system. Since this is still relatively new to him I don't know if he

will reveal any of that. How about you guys then? I've never seen jets like that before and

I thought they were beautiful pieces of flying machinery"

**Vladimir**: "The maroon one in the front; that was Junko's Su-34 Fullback. It's a tandem

seat fighter jet but she flies it alone. It's supposed to be a fighter bomber but she uses it

more like a fighter jet. Our jets are Su-37 Terminators. They are state of the art aircraft

with superb maneuverability. It is said it can out maneuver the American F-22 Raptor. We

took on a few American jets during the Windy City Campaign and won. Mind you America

probably has the best fighter pilots in the world but luck was on our side that day"

**Russ**: "What was the red logo on the tail of your aircraft?"

**Alex**: "That's Spetsnaz, the division we work for. We are the first Spetsnaz pilots ever. Our

division was created by Morien's father, Dmitri"

**Russ**: "I see"

**Alex**: "Come to think of it, I wonder how well your Tie Defender would do against any jet

here on earth. It seems a bit unfair"

**Russ**: "Well I use it in space battles. I've never fought within an atmosphere before which

may change conditions"

**Alex**: "Maybe you can join us for a bit. Before you go back?"

**Ayeka**: "Go back? What does he mean?"

**Russ**: "To Jurai…with you"

**Ayeka**: "Oh. Good"

**Alex**: "On that note, will there be a grand wedding we can look forward to?"

**Ayeka**: "You better believe there will be. And Russ will rule the empire as Emperor once

I take the throne as Empress"

**Russ**: "Ayeka, I…"

**Ayeka**: "Enough. I want to watch my show now" she said stopping him from objecting.

She also smiles.

The sliding door opens. Morien and Kanta enter the home.

**Morien**: "Gentlemen! Behold!"

Morien holds out a small cardboard package.

**Russ**: "Umm…what is that?"

**Morien**: "Guitar stings"

**Russ**: "Did you get anything else?"

**Morien**: "No"

**Russ**: "You were gone for that long and only came back with guitar stings?"

**Morien**: "Well Kanta was like a kid in a candy store not wanting to leave"

**Kanta**: "They don't have music stores in the desert! It took me forever to find a drum

set I wanted"

**Russ**: "You bought a drum set?"

**Kanta**: "Sure did. But I had them mail it to my place in Singapore. Where's Junko?"

**Alex**: "She's changing somewhere"

**Kanta**: "Oh where? I want to go watch…"

His better judgment kicked in.

**Kanta**: "I mean I'm just going to stay here"

Everyone else was quiet.

**Kanta**: "Oh come on! Don't act you're not impressed!"

**Morien**: "We are actually. Just not sure how to respond"

**Kanta**: "A simple 'nice work Kanta' will do"

**Morien**: "Yeah…that. It smells great in here. Dinner will be ready soon I take it?"

**Sasami**: "Yup. Just a little longer, Morien" she said from the kitchen

Up in Tenchi's room he was putting on a change of clothes while Ryoko watched resisting

the urge to dart at him and rip his clothes off. Now with a white shirt on and beige cargo

shorts, he walks to the bed and lays down face up with Ryoko sitting down by his side.

**Tenchi**: "What a day"

**Ryoko**: "Tell me about it. Nothing like a nice rest after a hard day's work"

**Tenchi**: "You actually worked?"

**Ryoko**: "I helped Ayeka with the laundry. I know, hell must have frozen over, right?"

**Tenchi**: "Ha! Yeah I guess it has. But in all seriousness that was nice of you"

**Ryoko**: "I help out more than you think, ya know"

**Tenchi**: "Ryoko?"

**Ryoko**: "Yes, Tenchi?"

**Tenchi**: "When are we getting married?"

**Ryoko**: "No idea. We could always elope!"

**Tenchi**: "Ryoko, I want this to be formal"

**Ryoko**: "I know, I know. We also need to decide where. Either here or Jurai"

**Tenchi**: "I would say here. It would be more convenient. And besides, after Russ and Ayeka

get engaged, their wedding will be on Jurai"

**Ryoko**: "Oh boy, what a day that will be"

**Tenchi**: "You said it. I feel sorry for Russ though because of his stage fright when he becomes

the center of attention. If he thought that singing in front of people was bad imagine having

all of the Jurian Royalty and merchants in the same place with all eyes on you"

**Ryoko**: "I'm sure he'll be preoccupied with thinking about his bride in front of him"

**Tenchi**: "But back to the task at hand"

**Ryoko**: "Don't worry Tenchi. I want our wedding to be the best one ever. I'm not about to

have a mediocre wedding ceremony for the best thing that has ever happened to me. Anyways,

what do you say we 'have some fun' before dinner?" she said poking his side.

**Tenchi**: "Uhh, Ryoko. Maybe later tonight. As much as I want to I'm still kind of beat from

work and there are people downstairs"

**Ryoko**: "But their noise will block out any sounds, Tenchi"

**Tenchi**: "Ryoko. Tonight"

**Ryoko**: "Fine" she crosses her arms in disappointment.

**Tenchi**: "Let's go join the others downstairs"

**Ryoko**: "Okay. I'm going to change too. See you in a bit dear"

Tenchi leaves his room and walks down the stairs into the living room where there was conversation going.

**(UPDATE: Okay, I apologize if this throws anyone off but I'm going to transition from ****script to the typical style of writing you see in most books)**

Upon entering the living room Tenchi sees everyone there sitting comfortably. Russ was still

engaged in his magazine and Nobuyuki his newspaper, but Ayeka, Alex, and Vladimir watched

the soap opera. Alex and Vladimir were intrigued as they had never seen a soap opera with

non-human characters. The main characters looked like emperor penguins with roach antennae.

Ayeka had to explain it was not an Earth based channel then she explained how they had a

satellite set up by Washu in order to tune in to channels light years away. Russ just smiled

knowing they had no knowledge of what was happening off of planet Earth. That was destined

to change at some point and sometime soon. Morien and Kanta sat down on the floor by a window

in the living room with backs on the wall talking about instruments and music in general.

"You've never been to a concert?" Morien asked surprised. Kanta replied in a typical manner.

"Fingerpaintings, what part of "I'm from the desert" isn't registering in that thick skull of yours?

Of course maybe that's the problem. But no I have not"

Morien raised an eyebrow upon hearing Kanta's reprisal but shrugged it off and continued.

"Well we should break you into the world of loud music and intense energy mixed with thousands

of people; all of which have the same goal: to enjoy the evening's festivities in a chaotic matter"

Kanta now looked at him with a straight face trying to figure out how to reply. He scratched his

chin, then the back of his head.

"So, what you're saying is that I can let myself go without much regret?"

"Obviously you need to have control over yourself within reason unless you want to go to prison"

Morien replied.

"It sounds like I might like that. Which groups do you recommend?" Kanta asked. Morien put his

hand on his chin and thought for a moment.

"I've seen many, many, bands from just about every genre except hip-hop and country. It all really

depends on your taste. Considering you ripped off most of my music when you first came here,

what do you like?"

"Most of what you call heavy music I like. It's a good way to get psyched before a mission. Anyone

in that category coming around anytime soon?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I haven't been on my computer for a while and on top of that I haven't seen any

fliers in Hamburg or even around here when we went to Okayama. Of course now that you have

experienced performing first hand in front of a fairly large audience you should now have somewhat

of an idea of the concert experience from the audience's perspective"

Russ became interested in the conversation by the window and walked to over to join them. Once

he sat down he looked over at Ayeka on the sofa who gave him a fake sad face because he left.

He responded with moose ears.

"Welcome to the conversation. Do you have any musical input?" Morien asked

"Music is good?" Russ replied then continued "I really just listen to everything. I don't have a favorite

band or genre and, like most people, it depends on my mood which determines what I listen to"

"So from the heavier music department…what do you like?" Morien asked. "Umm…what you three

did live back at the party was good. I don't listen to that often but it comes out several times. Most

recently I've been on an electronic music surge. Crystal Method, The Faint, and music from various

games like Einhinder." Russ said. Morien's face went into amazement.

"You actually know what Einhinder is? I can ask just about anyone and no one knows what that is.

Finally someone who knows their games. Okay let's switch gears here. What games do you guys play?"

Kanta looked at Morien with the same 'what did I just tell you' face but Morien cut him off before he

got a chance to say anything.

"Okay Russ, what about you?"

"Unreal Tournament…"

"Okay stop right there…I'm sold!" Morien said. "I think that has to be my favorite game of all time.

That and the Sonic the Hedgehog series before they went to that 3rd dimensional garbage that

makes Barbie look like a good game"

Russ laughs then replies. "It's a good game. I don't know if it's the best but it's certainly up there.

Tom has a holodeck on his ship which enables the user to do just about anything. It can be used for

gaming and I've used it to play Unreal Tournament before. There's nothing like playing a game when

you're actually in it"

Now Kanta was intrigued. "So this can potentially improve our shooting skills then?" Kanta asked.

"It's a rather non-traditional method of doing so but yeah, I don't see why it wouldn't" Russ said.

"Fingerpaintings! I challenge you then! Since this isn't a contest of strength I'm curious as to how

your shooting skills will stack up to mine" Kanta said firmly.

"I guess. So I can kill you a hundred times over without actually killing you?" Morien asked curiously.

"Yes. But you will be different characters." Russ said.

"I'm game then" Morien replied happily. "And before you add stipulations, Kanta, let me be the first

to say there will be none. I'm only playing to have fun"

"Whatever, Fingerpaintings. I wouldn't want to add stipulations if I was fighting myself" Russ continued

to look at Morien and Kanta as they exchanged banter. 'Man, they remind me of my friendship with

Zorpheus. One is normal and the other one has sanity issues but they get along well or give off the

illusion that they do.' Sasami once again poked her head out of the kitchen. The usual cheerful look

on her face was there as she made her announcement.

"Hey guys. Dinner will be ready in about 5 minutes. Could you all start gathering everyone and

meet back here? Thanks!"

"Sweet!" Russ and Morien said at the same time.

Since it was only Zorpheus, Ryoko, and Junko who were not present it only took several seconds

to find them then everyone gathered around the kitchen table.

"Does anyone know where Washu is?" Morien asked.

"The one place she's at all the time: her lab" Ryoko said in reply.

"I'll be right back" Morien said.

While food was being brought to the table Morien entered into Washu's lab. As usual, she sat

with her back turned while placing digits or some other kind of information into a computer. She

senses his energy and turns around.

"Hey. What brings you in here?"

"Dinner is ready. You'd be a fool to pass up Sasami's cooking" Morien said.

"I've done it before but I'm working on not being as much of a shut in. And besides, now I have

you as a persuading factor" She said smiling. "Give me a minute. I'll be out soon"

"I can wait. Patience is one of my few skills provided it's something or someone worth waiting for.

What are you working on anyways?" he asked.

"A few years ago I had mentioned, back at your place, a strange energy building up in the furthest

area of this galaxy. It disappeared for a while but it has since returned. It always looks like it's going

to come in contact with Jurai, then it goes away without a trace, and then it reappears. It has had

many attempts to attack, if that's what it's supposed to do, but so far it makes the same motion. I

suppose if it was something controlled by another being it would have attacked by now"

Morien gazed at the massive screen in front of him as it displayed a map of the galaxy and where the

Earth and Jurai were. On the map was the projected path of the mass of energy in a yellow color

making an oval shape but remaining in the same area in space. "Is it something to be concerned

about, Washu?"

"I tried to determine that years ago and I still don't have an answer. If Jurai was in trouble we would

have known by now. No reports have been made. I've even contacted other scientists and astronomers

out there but they are not in the least bit concerned" Washu stops typing and walks over to Morien,

taking his arm and leading him towards the door.

"Anyways, I think it's time to refuel on some superb dining" she said.

"I'm right there with you" Morien said with eagerness.

The orange door appeared opening automatically allowing Washu and Morien to walk about. The smell

of the food was now everywhere. The darkness of night revealed itself through the windows setting

the mood for a calm pleasant evening. Walking into the dinning room, Morien and Washu spot two

open seats between Ryoko and Kanta. Everyone was waiting for their arrival and they all let out a "yes"

once the couple showed up.

"You guys could have started without us. I don't think the food was going anywhere" Morien said.

"With the way Russ and Zorpheus eat, it was best that everyone got a fair chance before it

vanished" Ryoko teased.

Russ and Zorpheus just replied with goofy facial expressions and waited for everyone to take their

portions which didn't take long. Once all plates were full and they knew no one was going after

seconds the two Saiyans began to rapidly eat everything in sight like a super massive black hole.

Kanta watched in amazement while chewing his food. Even though he had seen the way they eat

once before it was still new to him. Ryoko also had a ravenous appetite that far surpassed a normal

human being's appetite but she could not outmatch Russ and Zorpheus. Everyone else sitting around

tended to their own food completely satisfied with the perfect flavor of each dish whether it was the

miso soup, various tempura snacks, noodles, and even some sushi rolls that Sasami had learned to

make a few months back. Each glass cup was black with a white Japanese symbol on them. Each

symbol was a different Earth-based element such as water, fire, ice, and so on. Two gray pots of green

tea were also on the table. One had normal green tea and the other was green tea with lemon. Russ

was not fond of the heavy flavor of the tea so he purchased his own soda, Mountain Dew more specifically,

from the market which he brought to the table for each meal. He shared it with Zorpheus who did not

mind the tea but he would take Mountain Dew any day over just about any other beverage. For a few

minutes the only sound in the dining room was the chopsticks grabbing various food items from the

table and the tea being poured. That and the sound of the two Saiyins devouring their food faster than

a jet aircraft taking off. Nobuyuki decided to be the first to speak.

"So how was everyone's day?" he asked starting the conversation.

Almost everyone replied with "Good" or "Great" or "So-so." Nobuyuki then looked over at Morien.

"You know, I see you from time to time but I don't think we've formally introduced." Morien looked

back at Nobuyuki with a mouthful of noodles. He waited a few moments. "I don't recall either. I'm

Morien" he said lightly waving his hand in Nobuyuki's direction.

"And I'm Nobuyuki. It's an honor to meet you. In case I hadn't said it before you are more than

welcome in this home"

Morien smiled then politely gave a light bow in Nobuyuki's direction then Nobuyuki continued.

"I've heard a lot about you from everyone here but never got to meet you even when you did come

back. So guardian of Earth I hear now eh?"

Morien stopped and started to sweatdrop.

"Sorry if you don't like it" Nobuyuki said noticing that Morien did not seem comfortable with a title he

wish he didn't have.

"It's alright. I should have thought of that before speaking to national news that day in Chicago"

"But if you hadn't done that most of the world's conflicts wouldn't have subsided as rapidly as they

did. Many governments are working hard now to better themselves because of what you did" Junko

said grabbing a shrimp tempura with her chopsticks. "The only thing I wanted them to get out of my

announcement was not to bring me into captivity and for people to bring violence down to a minimum.

I never said make me a hero. On that note do you two want to take up the job as guardian of Earth?"

he asked looking at Russ and Zorpheus.

"No thank you!" they said in unison.

"Umm, Fingerpaintings, when you said that you didn't want to be taken captive you also included

Vash and myself as well right?"

Morien turns his head to Kanta with a smirk.

"Nope, just Vash" he laughs.

"Yeah, I deserved that one for being an as…I mean a jerk" Kanta censored himself knowing that

Sasami was also there. "Still doesn't mean I'm going to change though" "Hmpf" Junko let out.

"I meant for him, Junko" Kanta says trying to save himself.

Ryoko now joins in.

"So what are you two then? It's puzzling to me"

"Like I told my two wingmen here, we're something" Junko responds but Ryoko really wanted an answer.

"Seriously, are you a couple or not?"

"Ryoko, they don't have to reveal that if they don't want to" Tenchi intervened.

"But I'm curious, Tenchi"

"I understand Ryoko but let's stray off that topic and talk about something else."

Ryoko sighed in defeat. She would never argue with her fiancée.

"Okay Tenchi. But what should we talk about then?"

Tenchi thought for a moment while he consumed a small piece of a tempura carrot.

"Well, we are leaving in a few days for Tom's ship. What can we look forward to up there, Russ?"

Russ put down his plate. He lost count of the dishes he went through after a while.

"Tom claims he has one hundred percent wiped all the bugs out of all the systems of his ship so I'm

sure he will want to demonstrate some of the 'newer' things he can do with the Gray Wolf. You should

pack a few things but not as many since we aren't heading to Jurai like last time. It's mainly to stay

for 2 or 3 days and get a grand tour of the ship again"

"Is everyone on this ship dressed like Star Wars characters then?" Morien asked

"Surprisingly no. They have their own military style attire and not to mention just about everyone is

very friendly and warm. For those who haven't been up there I'm sure you will all enjoy yourself" Russ explained.

"What is there to do up there?" Junko now asked.

"What isn't there to do up there?" Zorpheus answered now joining in. "Just think of this as a vacation

within a vacation"

"Will Kiyone be going as well?" Vladimir asked

"As far as I know" Russ said with a smile knowing full well why he asked.

"Wait, why would you ask that?" Ryoko now asked curiously.

"Just keeping tabs on who's going. That's all" Vladimir replied nervously but did his best to hide it.

Ryoko sort of had an idea in her head but kept it to herself.

"Remember, Fingerpaintings, we have a match" Kanta said haughtily.

"I won't forget" Morien replied with a straight face.

"I really have to watch that. So how do you two get along?" Russ asked.

"I really don't know. Kanta's a pain and I retort with deliberately nagging about everything so

we're about even" Morien stated.

"We both have common interests despite our petty differences" Kanta said.

"You sound like Russ and Zorpheus" Sasami said from across the table.

"How are we even getting there?" Morien says with the thought just occurring.

"Remember that transport ship you saw the day we fought? One of those" Russ replied.

"I should have known that" says Morien.

The conversation continued on for 20 more minutes, mainly filling the newcomers with information

about Tom's ship, as everyone was about finished eating the food in front of them. On this particular

night Sasami had also created desert. It was a carrot-cake that was highly palatable. After desert

was finished everyone helped put plates, dishes, cups, and utensils away making the clean up process

about a ten minute task. From there everyone dispersed. The hour was just past 9pm. Tenchi and

Ryoko were up in his room getting ready to sleep. Russ and Ayeka were in their room watching an

anime on Russ's portable DVD player. Alex had gone back to Morien's place to rest. Washu went back

to her lab to work. Sasami was doing some final touches in cleaning the kitchen. The news was on in

the living room as Morien, Kanta, Junko, Vladimir, Zorpheus, and Nobuyuki were watching. It was mainly

reports about the economy around the world which caused everyone on the couch except Morien to

doze off. Once they woke up from their dozy stages everyone left and went to their bedrooms. Soon

Sasami retired for the night and went to her room for a peaceful night of sleep. The light of the television

was now the only light in the living room. Only Morien and Vladimir remained awake flipping through the

channels trying to find something to watch that wasn't in Japanese since they couldn't understand a

single word of it. To their surprise and relief they stumbled across the Discovery Channel in Russian

which they were both fluent in. They didn't know why they had that channel but they were happy with

the find. Morien began to laugh watching Mythbusters in Russian since he usually watched the show

in English.

"So how come you're still up? You're usually passed out by now" Morien asked.

"I don't feel like sleeping I guess" Vladimir replied.

"You're not waiting for Kiyone to come home?" Morien asked with a grin

"No…not at all…maybe" Vladimir stuttered.

"It's okay, comrade. I've gone through the motions too. We do things we typically don't do when

we want to attract someone" Morien explained.

"It's just the way she looked at me. It's very fresh in my mind and I want to go a bit further than

that" Vladimir said.

"I'm rooting for you"

Morien changed the channel again until he came across CNN which was in English. The words "Breaking News"

came across the screen. Both men now focused on the television.

"Scientists have now discovered wood that looks like it came from space. This may in fact be debris

from the meteor shower that took place just over a year ago. That shower lasted a few days as it

came as a huge surprise since astronomers had not predicted such an event. After the viewing, calculations

were made as to where debris may land should it reach the Earth. Upon searching that area discoveries

have been made as small fragments of this space wood are now being recovered and examined. They

do not match any tree here on earth and also looks like they cannot be broken as the tools used to

examine the wood fragments broke as they were used"

"Vladimir?" Morien asked with a concerned tone.

"Yeah?"

"Didn't that battle between Emperor Asuza and Tom's forces take place just over a year ago?"

"I think that's what I heard. What about it?" Vladimir asked.

"Those wood fragments… I wonder if this discovery has anything to do with it considering it's wood

from space and I was told that Jurian warships were made from wood"

"It's a possibility. I wouldn't worry though. So they found wood from outer space; big deal. What

are they going to do?" Vladimir said with confidence.

"I suppose. Still I'll keep an eye on how this unfolds"

From outside a low rumble was heard then it became louder until it disappeared.

"Sounds like Mihoshi and Kiyone are back. And the house is still in one piece. Looks like it will be

a good evening" Morien said.

"I hope so" Vladimir said

The front door slides open as two Galaxy Police officers walk through both looking exhausted from

a long shift. To Vladimir's disappointment Kiyone walks straight up the stairs but Mihoshi sets

herself on the love seat letting out a hiss as she sat down.

"Welcome back. Long shift?" Morien asked

"Uh-huh" Mihoshi said in a tired tone "I'm glad I'm home now. Is there any food left?"

"You can check the fridge"

"You know on second thought, I'm really tired. Is Zorpheus upstairs?" she asked.

"Yup"

"Ok. Goodnight guys"

Mihoshi slowly walked as she yawned her way up the stairs to her room.

"Damn" Vladimir said "I missed my chance"

"Dude, she just got back from a long shift. I think the last thing she wants to do right now is talk"

Morien explained.

"I know. I really was going to try and talk to her"

"And I'm sure you were. But you'll have plenty of other chances. Anyways I'm going to hit the sack.

You should do the same. Also, maybe you should train with Russ and myself tomorrow"  
"You're joking right? I'm not super human like you two"

"I understand but I believe Russ said that even if you have the slightest amount of power, even

that of human strength, you can grow your powers exponentially"

"I'll give it some thought. Have a good night" Vladimir said retiring to a corner in the living room

to sleep.

Morien turned off the television and entered Washu's lab. All the lights now were off in the

Masaki home. In her room Kiyone was face up in her bed with eyes closed but still awake. She

had felt alone now that just about everyone in the home was with someone. In addition she tried

very hard to hide her envy and just focused on her career. It was nowhere near Ayeka's loneliness

before she met Russ but it still bothered her like a thorn in her heel. Then she thought of Vladimir.

She remembered when he looked over at her for just a few seconds. She found him attractive but

didn't know if she wanted to make a move. The thought of talking to him made her nervous on the

inside. In her mind she was debating being alone or doing something about it now that she had a

chance to. The sandman's spell was now over her as she slipped into a state of peaceful rest

while still thinking about Vladimir.

**End of Chapter 4**


	5. Premonitions

**Chapter 5**

Sitting slouched back in his black leather seat and with both legs perched on the cockpit dashboard,

he gazes out the window to his left seeing the spiral galaxy he just departed from. He casually pilots

the _January_ into the Milky Way Galaxy with the mere usage of his pinky on the control stick. The _January_

was a spear shaped vessel that was mainly used as a cargo space cruiser but it did have one weapon;

a particle cannon that could easily destroy planets, even gas giants, with one shot. Being awake for

more than 2 days straight he was fighting off comatose and it was a losing battle. With only the cockpit

controls and gauge indicators as a source of light the cockpit was dark which added to his draining

energy. He dozed off for several seconds at a time but woke up when the absent pilot warning sounded.

The cockpit door behind him opened revealing a black haired man wearing a welder's mask, a black

sleeveless shirt which had several holes in them, and red cargo pants. He lifts up his mask.

"Vegas? I've heard the absent pilot warning several times now. You really need to give it rest"

"Then who will pilot this spacecraft, Jaysen?"

"I helped you build the _January_. I can take on the duty of a relief pilot"

Adjusting his GP hat he sits up in his seat. He was, however, not part of the Galaxy Police or even

affiliated as he found the hat from the aftermath of a battle that took place on a distant planet.

Putting the controls on autopilot he stands up convinced he needs to give the controls to the engineer.

"Have you even flown this thing before?" asked the pilot

"A 3 month old baby could pilot this, Vegas. I did, after all, design this ship to be as foolproof

and failsafe as possible even if it was at a slightly heavy cost"

"Don't remind me why Captain Tom Franklin kicked me out of his crew, Jaysen"

"At least we have what we wanted, well, sort of"

"It's close enough. That's why we scavenge from other damaged or destroyed space vessels"

"Do we stay on the current course then, Vegas?"

"Yes. Head towards Earth. If the hacked information we obtained from the Galaxy Police is correct,

the two men who defeated Emperor Asuza's forces in that skirmish should be on Earth. Also, the Gray

Wolf is stationed close to Earth but since we "borrowed" the technology to cloak our ship it

shouldn't detect us"

"First you become a pariah then we have to risk seeing all of them. Some plan this is"

"You know why we're doing this, Jaysen"

"I'm not changing my mind about any of this but I'm reminding myself of the negative possibilities.

Sorry for being a downer. Anyways, I'm going to put the _January_ into rip mode. It should take us

about 2 to 3 weeks to reach Earth even with the Ego Bypass Generator fully operating"

"If you know what you're doing then I'm going to take a 4 day rest. Wake me if you need anything"

At the controls, Jaysen sets the auto pilot as it calculates the safest route to Earth taking into

account magnetic storms, asteroids, and other vessels that could become a major hazard and

of course planets too. Once set, he takes a seat for a moment as the _January_ enters rip mode

which is identical to hyperdrive but then the Ego Bypass Generator activates pushing the ship

to 3 times the speed of hyperdrive. The ship became completely silent as it propelled itself

Earthbound. Jack Vegas and Jaysen White; two drifters who spent the majority of their time

wandering in the depths of space, only stopping on other planets to get supplies, head to Earth

with a plan. Vegas was and still is a highly skilled pilot and was formerly part of Tom Franklin's crew

until being banished. As the Gray Wolf was in its construction phase Vegas was so impressed and

taken back by the intensity of the project he wanted his own vessel but was denied. Going behind

Tom's back he started to copy the plans to the Gray Wolf but was caught in the process. Jack was

shot out into space in a small emergency space pod being at the mercy of wherever he landed. Luck

was on his side as he found himself on a nameless planet that was life sustainable. Not wandering

far from where the space pod landed he came across a city where he met Jaysen White, a multi-purpose

engineer and a doctor. The men who carried out Jack's punishment were not aware he got away with

several of the design blue prints for the Gray Wolf. Jack revealed the plans to Jaysen who said a smaller

vessel could be created from what he gathered. Against his wishes, he settled for a smaller vessel but

with an addition that the Gray Wolf did not have. Jaysen, along with a team of other engineers, had

experimented with methods to travel faster than hyperspace. After successful test runs they named the

propulsion system the Ego Bypass Generator and had it installed on the _January_ once it was completed.

But that was not the only engineering marvel of the _January_. A consolidator was also installed onboard

which assimilated parts of other vessels into their own ship and being used where the main computer

saw most fit. Over the course of a few years the _January_ had increased significantly in size but was

still dwarfed by the Gray Wolf hundreds of times over. In the end it had only two members onboard the

entire ship, Jack and White (Jaysen actually prefers going by his last name). After a long debate with

each other they finally decided to make a course for the planet Earth and proceed with an unknown

objective.

* * *

The time was just around noon as the sun was directly above on a perfectly clear and windless day.

Tall cylinder-like buildings surrounded a park with nothing but red roses and the occasional tree.

White brick pathways stretched from end to end within the park. In her science academy attire,

Washu sat on a bench typing on a holographic computer but her mind was elsewhere. Filled with

joy she waited almost impatiently for the arrival of her husband and newborn son. Her husband

finally got some time off to visit her. Unable to concentrate any longer, her computer fades away

and she sits back, taking in the scenery of flowers and tall buildings. With a smile on her face she

gazes up into the warm tropical air. A few minutes later she hears footsteps and just as she eagerly

anticipated she spots her husband holding her child casually walking in the park. Washu stands up

and waves her hand at him. He responds with a smile and walks over to her.

"You kept me waiting a while, Mikamo"

Mikamo's smile turns into a straight face and then a slight frown. Washu looks concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Washu, I have some news. It's not good either"

Washu starts shaking slightly but doesn't think much of it. She had thought maybe he was being

called into military duty which was a saddening thought but she kept high hopes of seeing him

again if this was the case. At least she had her new born son, Akaki.

"It's the military isn't it?"

"I'm afraid not, Washu. I…well as you know I come from a very prestigious family"

Washu was starting to get an idea of how this was going to end. Her eyes start to water a bit.

"Mikamo, please don't tell me…."

"I'm sorry Washu. The Kuramitsu family has become aware of our marriage. Because of my social

status I'm…being forced to leave"

Now tears started rolling down Washu's face. She reaches her arms out wanting to hold her son

but Mikamo backs up.

"And Akaki is staying with me. You are forbidden to see him ever again. I didn't want it to end this

way but I have no say in the matter. Goodbye, my wife"

He turns around and walks away. Washu struggles to move but it was as if her feet were grafted

into the ground.

"No! Please come back! Don't leave me like this!"

She broke down in tears watching her husband walk away holding her baby son. Again she held

out her arms but he was not coming back. Then the sky turns black and the scenery disappears

leaving Washu in a void. An image was now starting to take form in front of Washu. As it takes shape

she instantly recognizes the figure. Now standing in front of her was Dr. Clay, a former competing

scientist. Still in tears but now confused she looks on wondering why he suddenly appeared.

"What the hell do you want? My husband just left with my son! Leave me alone!"

"Actually, Washu, that's why I'm here" Dr. Clay said sinisterly.

Washu just stood in silence waiting for what he had to say.

"Are you not the greatest scientific genius in the universe, Washu? I find it ironic that you couldn't

figure out how to keep your husband and your child with a title like that. It just goes to show that

you are nothing! Your title means nothing to me or any other person existing! The two people that

mattered in your life the most are now gone! Gone Washu! And you know why? Because he thought

you were nothing! In time your son would have realized the same thing. You are nothing Washu! You

will bear this pain for the rest of your life!" Dr. Clay ends with an evil grin then fades from view. Now

shaking Washu falls to her knees and slams the surface with immense force letting out an echo. As she

cries she yells as loud as she could.

"WHY ME? WHY HAVE THE TWO PEOPLE I HAVE LOVED MORE THAN MY OWN LIFE LEFT ME? I CAN'T BEAR THIS LONLINESS!"

She stayed in place crying out loudly in the black void. Rapidly sitting up in her bed she awakens

from her nightmare breathing loudly then starts to let out a small cry sinking her face into her hands.

A moment later she looks out her right eye and sees a lump under the green covers right next to her.

Morien was sleeping soundly letting out a quiet yet still audible breath as he slept. Reality finally came

back as she remembered that there was no need to cry. Almost immediately she transitions from

sadness to happiness as the feeling of loneliness ebbed away. She put her arms around his neck

facing his backside and held on tight which woke up Morien. He felt the pressure of what felt like a hug.

"You're still up?" he asked as he turned around.

Even though it was dark he could see moisture coming out of her eyes but she kept a small

smile on her face.

"Washu, what happened?" he asked now worried.

Rather than explaining she just buried her face right in his chest and embraced him tightly.

"Please don't leave me, Morien. I've spent the last 20,000 years in loneliness and now I have

you and my son who has returned to me. I don't want to bear the pain of being alone again"

It had registered in his head that she just woke up from a bad dream. He held her tightly in

return, letting out a sigh.

"I'm not going anywhere Washu. I'm not tied to any wealthy lineage and if anyone thinks they

are going to separate us they'll have to answer to my fists and my guns. No one deserves to

live alone and no one has the right to separate a couple"

She looks up at him bringing her hands to his face then they kissed for a few seconds. Afterwards

they look at their hands with rings glowing reminding each other of the covenant bond they

made. Morien lies back down and Washu rests her head on his shoulder placing her arm over his

chest. Soon her sadness completely drained away and they both drifted off to very peaceful sleep.

The morning had arrived. In a few minutes the sun would rise over the mountains creating the

canvas for a new day waiting to be painted on. In the living room Vladimir turned his head over

onto what felt like metal plating with a square design. Upon touching with his face it emits cold air

which causes him to open his eyes and see it was the air conditioning vent. He mumbles to himself

for a moment as he sits up on the floor. Rubbing his face he feels abrasion on his chin indicating he

was due for a shave at some point. He then scratches his dark brown hair and slowly stands to his

feet brushing off the sleep spell. Now walking forward he gets about 4 feet before stubbing his toe

on the table between the sofa and the television. A loud yelp went throughout the house followed

by a thud as he falls face first onto the floor.

"What a great day this will be" he said to himself looking towards the direction of the kitchen.

A small giggle was heard from about midway up the stairs and he turns his head to find Sasami

looking down at him amused by his misfortune.

"Yeah, go ahead and laugh" he said in his Russian accent.

"I'm sorry. This type of thing usually doesn't happen this early. Are you okay?"

"I think so. The bleeding will stop momentarily"

"You're bleeding?" she asked concerned.

"No. That was just my sense of humor"

Sasami giggles again appreciating the humor.

"I really thought you were serious"

"You'll find that I do that a lot"

"The humor or the falling down?"

Vladimir thought for a second.

"Both"

Again she giggles.

"So why are you up so early, Princess Sasami?"

Her happy face becomes straight upon hearing that title being called out.

"Umm, how come you called me princess?"

"Are you not a Jurian princess? At least that's what I was filled in with"

"Well, yes but you don't have to call me princess" She smiles again. "I've lived on Earth for so

long I almost forgot where I was from. I'm not on a level above anyone here. I'm just as equa

l as everyone living here"

"My apology. So then how come you're up early, Sasami?"

"This is usually when I wake up to make breakfast for everyone"

"I'm surprised you don't wake up earlier to prepare extra food for the two Saiyins"

Sasami walks into the kitchen with Vladimir following behind.

"Actually, they only eat every 3 or 4 days"

"I see. Otherwise, then, your food bill would go off the chart"

"Not really" Sasami replies. "Russ helps pay for the groceries"

She opens up several cabinets, taking out utensils, pots, and pans to prepare breakfast. Vladimir

noticed that her apron had a large carrot painted on the front.

"So does everyone here work or help out in some way?" He asked.

"Just about. Everyone here does chores or has a job somewhere. Nobuyuki never asked us to do

this but we also try to help him out with the finances in any way we can" she said filling up a pot

with water.

"Hold on a second" Vladimir said leaving the kitchen.

Keeping the same smile on her face Sasami now takes out various food items from the refrigerator

and places them on the island in the center of the kitchen. Taking several vegetables out, she

puts them on a cutting board and cuts them evenly with a knife. This process repeated itself

several times when Vladimir came back with something in his hands.

"Here" he says.

Sasami looks over at him and her eyes open wide. In his hands was a large bundle of money

which looked like it could cover their food costs for at least a year.

"Wait…you don't have to. It's okay, Vladimir, we have that taken care off…."

He walks up to her and puts the money in a pouch in her apron.

"No Sasami. I have never met a family that has treated strangers like they were family. It's

the least I could do. You guys deserve that and a whole lot more"

"But…"

"Enough. Keep it" he said with a grin.

"Thank you so much" she said taken back by his kindness.

"Do you need help with breakfast?"

"I prefer to cook alone. It keeps me concentrated. But thank you though!"

Vladimir now leaves the kitchen, grabs shaving supplies from his back pack, and then

walks to the main floor bathroom. Upstairs everyone was either still asleep or awake but

lying down in bed not wanting to get up. The only sound in the house was Sasami moving

around in the kitchen along with the sound of the metal utensils clanking each other as Sasami

moved them around. In the bathroom, Vladimir sprays half a handful of shaving cream on his

hands then lathers it on his chin and cheeks. In a few minutes he washes off whatever shaving

cream was left on his face then wipes it off with a towel. Now finished he slides open the

bathroom door and walks back to the sofa, this time without stubbing his toe. While waiting for

breakfast he decides to turn on the television and watch the Discovery Channel in Russian again.

Shark week was being displayed to his delight as he always found sea life fascinating. From the

top of the stairs a set of feet covered by black dress shoes began to walk down. Vladimir turns

his head towards the steps and see Nobuyuki in a dark gray suit and yellow tie. In his right hand

was a black leather briefcase.

"Good morning Vladimir"

"Good morning, sir. You look like you're about to gain control over Sony"

Nobuyuki chuckles taking in the interesting compliment.

"Nope, I'm just an architect. Good morning Sasami"

"Hello Nobuyuki. Are you staying for breakfast?"

"I'm afraid not. I have to be at work early today. Several architectural firms here in Japan created

potential designs for a new skyscraper being built in Tokyo. As it turns out, our design was

chosen to be the new building so it's going to be a long day"

"Congrats to you" Vladimir said from the sofa.

"Thank you! Well, I'm off. I may or may not be back tonight so don't burn the house down"

"I'll try not to Nobuyuki" Sasami said with her head down.

"Actually, I was referring to Vladimir"

"Wait, why me?"

"Because you have a sense of humor" he said laughing

"Oh. In that case I can't make any promises" he said grinning

Nobuyuki gave both Vladimir and Sasami a light bow then left his home for what was going

to be a very productive day.

"You know, I'm forgetting something" Vladimir quietly said to himself. "Oh well, I'm sure it

will manifest itself when I need to remember it"

He continues to watch the television. From out of the sea a great white shark has just caught

its unfortunate victim, a seal, in between its razor sharp set of teeth guaranteeing no escape

for the small sea mammal. He pondered the thought in his head, wondering why in some cases

life has to be taken in order for another to live. His thoughts were diverted for a brief moment

when for the second time he heard footsteps coming down from the top of the stairs but he

did not look back. Instead he focused back on the television. Now on the television a group of

scientists were tagging a couple of great white sharks. Out of nowhere a random humpback

whale jumps out of the water and lands on top of the small boat taking all the scientists and

cameramen with it.

"Did that really just happen?" he asked himself. "I suppose that's one way to make a discovery

on the Discovery Channel" he said trying to humor himself.

In the kitchen, pots with boiling water were on all 4 burners as Sasami prepared to place

ingredients inside of each one. Turning around to grab several vegetables she sees familiar face

enter the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning Kiyone"

"Hey Sasami"

Sasami notices that Kiyone had a nervous look on her face and her hands were behind her back.

"Is everything okay, Kiyone?"

"What…oh yeah, everything is fine" she chuckles but Sasami could detect it was partially fake.

She leans her head over and sees Vladimir sitting on the sofa engaged with the television then

looks back at Kiyone. She squints her eyes and with a smug look she looks at Kiyone now fully

aware of what was going on.

"So, how long?"

"How long what?"

"Oh you know. How long have you liked him?"

Kiyone starts to sweat a bit.

"I don't know what you're talking about"

Sasami was not buying it at all. She crossed her arms and kept her same facial expression.

"I think you do know what I'm talking about, Kiyone"

"Sasami…it…it's not like that at all"

Kiyone's voice started to stutter in a bit of nervousness.

"He's right over there, Kiyone. Go talk to him"

"But Sasami I don't know how…I mean I don't think…oh dammit"

"I'm so happy for you Kiyone! You like someone now! Now everyone in this house will have

that significant other!"

"Sasami" Kiyone said in a whisper "Please keep it down"

"What are you waiting for, Kiyone? Go and speak with him. He's very kind. He even gave me

some money for groceries. I'm sure you will like him"

"Sasami, who are you talking to?" Vladimir wondered as he asked from the sofa. He couldn't

make out what she was saying but he thought he heard mumbling from the kitchen. Kiyone

was now very nervous. She could feel a swelling feeling in her stomach trying to keep calm.

"Oh no one Vladimir" she turns to Kiyone again "This is your chance Kiyone. You know you

want to. No one wants to go throughout life without someone to be with"

"What am I going to say? How's the weather? I'm a nervous wreck just thinking about it. I know

I'm going to mess this up" Kiyone puts one hand on her face thinking about all the things that

could go wrong.

"Kiyone, he's also pretty funny. Even if you do make a mistake he's not going to judge you.

Especially someone that looks like you. Now go. Go surprise everyone in the house"

With that Sasami turned back to making breakfast leaving Kiyone on her own. She peeked

out from the kitchen watching Vladimir gazing at the television. His facial expressions changed

constantly as he was now watching a show about how NATO was training blue whales to destroy

Somali pirates. She takes a deep breath and slowly walks towards the living room.

"What is this world coming to? The concept is interesting but you can't train a whale to sink a

small boat. It happens a lot by accident but I don't think this can be achieved" he told himself

in his head. "What's next? Sending trees to the sun?"

"Uh…hi?"

Vladimir turns his head and freezes. His eyes now gazing into beautiful blue eyes; he remembers

what he forgot. Now just a few feet away Kiyone stood looking back at him with a plain green

t-shirt and gray sweat pants as well as her deep orange headband. He could tell she was nervous

which brought relief because he was slightly nervous as well. Everything he had talked about

during his training flight was now coming down to this moment. He built up his courage.

"Hello"

"Nice weather we're having…GAAAH!"

Vladimir raised an eyebrow finding it funny her nervousness was already leading her to making mistakes.

"Did I really just ask that? Ugh!"

She was about to retreat upstairs when he stopped her.

"Wait!"

She stops in her tracks then looks down still embarrassed at her attempt to break the ice.

"It's okay. There's…there's an open spot…right here!"

He points to a spot on the sofa indicating he wanted her to sit next to him. She still hesitated.

"I don't bite…unless you try to kill me or something like that"

She finally got a small smile to come to her face. Still timid she walks over and sits next to him on

the sofa letting out a hiss as the sofa was pressed downwards. They now both look at each other in

the eye with the same timid look.

"I'm…Vladimir"

He slowly extends his hand to shake hers.

"Kiyone" she takes his hand and returns the shake.

He could feel her trembling as he shook her hand.

"There's no need to be nervous. If anything I'm the one who should be shaking"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I'm the guy. Isn't there a protocol?"

"No. Remember, women have feelings too. I'm very good at not hiding them"

"I can tell"

Kiyone was surprised at how quickly she was able to find time to talk to him. She thought she would

never get the chance considering how intimidated she was by his appearance. He was very good

looking and she found it odd that she had no qualms about getting in the line of fire and arresting any

man who broke the law but now that she was exposed to a man who was not a law breaker and a

pilot like herself and possibly interested in her she couldn't control her timid feelings.

"I'm sorry but it's going to be a while before I overcome my nervousness" she said.

"If it makes you feel better I was shaky in the beginning"

"Yeah until I made that lame-ass statement"

"I found that kind of funny. But most men like that actually. It's…adorable for lack of a better term"

She blushes and tries to hide it by hiding her face in her arms but gives up. She speaks again.

"So from what I heard, you're a pilot as well?"

"Yes. I'm the first fighter pilot for my division, Spetsnaz. Well, actually let me rephrase. It's commander

Asagiri then Alex and I are her wingmen. We have zero mission fails"

"That's quite impressive"

"And what do you fly?"

"It's called the Yagami. It's a spacecraft that is part of the Galaxy Police"

"Galaxy Police?"

"It's a galactic wide police force that patrols the entire Milky Way Galaxy"

Vladimir was in shock.

"You're one of the space people?"

"Is that what they're calling us now? But yeah I am"

On the television, the Russian Discovery Channel was now showing Cash Cab. The host was being

mugged after turning into a dark alley from making a wrong turn.

"So yeah, Kiyone, I'm still in amazement that I'm finally talking to you"

"The feeling is mutual"

"I was wondering. I know it's a bit early but did you want to umm…like…go to the city sometime?

Maybe grab a bite to eat…as friends?"

Now she smiled and most of her timid feelings drained out.

"Of course. In fact we are leaving for Tom's ship tomorrow morning so we could explore

it if you want to"

"You're not on call or anything?"

"Thank Tsunami no! Mihoshi and I have the next 6 days off and it's with paid vacation. Thank

you Russ for that"

From under the table a furry cat and rabbit hybrid made herself appear. Vladimir catches the

movement and looks down.

"What kind of animal is this?" he asked very intrigued.

"This is Ryo-Ohki. She's our ride to Tom's ship tomorrow"

"Wait what? How?"

Kiyone chuckled knowing that Vladimir was about to crap a few bricks upon hearing about Ryo-Ohki.

"Ryo-Ohki is what we call a cabbit; half rabbit and half cat. She also transforms into a massive

spiky spaceship complete with weapons and high speed. She belongs to Ryoko."

Unable to say anything, Vladimir looks down at Ryo-Ohki with a look of disbelief in his eyes

causing Kiyone to laugh lightly.

"Now I know what Morien must have felt like when this was all being explained to him"

"Well once you're part of the family nothing is ever normal again"

"Me'ow, me'ow" Ryo-Ohki started to blurt out looking up towards the top of the stairs.

"What is it, little furry one?" Vladimir asked who then looked in the direction Ryo-Ohki was

looking. Once again he froze in his tracks and his nervousness returned; dark brown eyes

wide open. Kiyone looked at him wondering what he was looking at. She looks the same direction

and now has the exact same look as Vladimir. Both started to sweat. From the top of the stairs

everyone who was sleeping was now awake and looking down at them. Tenchi, Ryoko, Russ,

Ayeka, Zorpheus, and Mihoshi looked at the two on the sofa with big smiles and eyes open wide

as well as they leaned on the railing. It almost looked like they were glaring with smiles.

"Nothing happened" Kiyone stated.

"It's about time!" Ryoko replied. "I had suspected something but I didn't think it would be this soon"

"But like Kiyone said, nothing happened. We just talked"

"That's how it always starts then it only gets better from there" Ayeka said giving her input.

Now all 6 of them begin to walk down the stairs. Unknown to Kiyone or Vladimir Sasami was

also watching from the kitchen but once Ryoko spoke she resumed making breakfast. Russ and

Zorpheus bid Ayeka and Mihoshi goodbye both with a kiss and head outside to train. Kiyone

watched not feeling as envious as she usually did. Once the two Saiyins leave Tenchi, Ryoko,

Ayeka, and Mihoshi take spots in the living room. On the television the host of Cash Cab was

now being tied to a wheel strut of a large commercial jet and the taxi van was completely gutted.

"Is it true then Kiyone? Are you finally in love?" Mihoshi asked very bubbly.

"No Mihoshi. Not love. We're just friends right now" she stated slightly vexed.

"Uh huh" Ryoko smugly said.

"It's true silver girl. We just talked" Vladimir tried to defend his case.

"Whoa wait a second…who's silver girl?" Ryoko asked confused.

"I'm sorry but I forgot your name. A name was brought up in our conversation but I couldn't

match the face to it. In fact….I kind of forgot everyone else's name except Sasami" Vladimir

said hanging his head.

Everyone else just chuckled heartily and introduced themselves. Then they got back to the

topic at hand for a few minutes bantering with Vladimir and Kiyone who kept insisting they

just talked and nothing more while everyone played it off as if that was not the case. Then

a call from the kitchen.

"Hey guys. Breakfast is just about ready" Sasami said with her same smile that made

anyone happy looking at it.

"Are Morien and Washu still sleeping?" Ayeka asked

"It looks like it. I'll go get them" Tenchi replied.

He waited for the orange door to appear then opening it, he walks in. It was still dark in

Washu's lab indicating no one had been in it for a while. A few computers were shedding

light but the overhead lamps were still off. Tenchi walks towards the direction of where

Washu's room was and sees the door is open. Peeking inside, Morien and Washu are still in

the bed. Morien was lying face up with Washu still sleeping with her head on his chest. A smile

came upon Tenchi's face as they both looked very comfortable and in love. Morien slowly

opens his eyes and looks over at Tenchi. He nods at Tenchi.

"Hey" Morien said quietly.

"Good morning. Breakfast is ready"

"I would go but she had a nightmare and she's still a bit shaken from it so I'm going to

stay here and comfort her. You guys start without us"

"Okay, I guess" Tenchi said with a worried look.

Now back in the living room Tenchi walks to the dining room where everyone was waiting.

Their happy faces turned into concern when they see his face.

"What's wrong dear" Ryoko asked.

"It's…Washu. Something happened to her last night; a nightmare Morien said. He said he

was going to stay and comfort her"

Everyone was quiet for a moment, looking down at the table in front of them. Without

saying a word each person walks in single file, with Ryoko leading, back into Washu's lab.

She sees the open door and everyone slowly takes a look inside. Morien opens his eyes

again and is very surprised to see everyone standing there. With a wave of his hand he

indicates for everyone to walk in.

"Washu, I think you have a few visitors" he whispered to her.

Now Washu opened her eyes and sat up to see Ryoko, Tenchi, Ayeka, Mihoshi, Kiyone,

and Vladimir all looking at her concerned.

"What…what's going on?" Washu asked surprised

"We heard you had a bad dream so we came to check on you" Tenchi replied.

"Thanks but I'm fine guys, really"

"Washu, you're family. You are not alone in this. We are here for you and each other" Tenchi

said firmly.

Washu began to form tears in her eyes but they were joyous. She was overjoyed knowing

and remembering that she had Morien, the entire family that lived under the Masaki roof,

and her son, Akaki.

"Thank you so much everyone. The nightmare I had almost convinced me I was alone again

but I have all of you here for reassurance so thank you" Washu said.

She stood up out of bed and everyone gave her a group hug.

"Now this is a true family" Morien said watching from his bed. "Anyways, thanks you guys!

This is really amazing what you all did. Give us a few minutes and Washu and I will be out

for breakfast"

They all nodded in approval in his direction and left Washu and Morien behind. In just a few

minutes, while still in their sleep attire, they leave Washu's room and head for the subspace

exit. In front of them they see Kanta and Junko already on their way.

"Who's that asshole up there?" Morien yells then snickers.

Junko begins to laugh and Kanta flashes him his middle finger.

"Fingerpaintings, what a surprise" Kanta says with a straight face.

"That was a spur of the moment situation. Couldn't think of anything else to say"

Kanta just rolled his eyes. He stopped caring about insults since he knew that he himself

was cold hearted individual. He made exceptions around the Masaki family and Junko but

everyone else was fair game.

"So no Alexander this morning?" Morien asked.

"No. He's staying with his wife for the rest of the day. Apparently he told her that tomorrow

he was being sent on a mission that was to be shrouded in total secrecy. Of course that

means he's coming with us to visit Tom on his ship" Junko explains.

"We've said it before and we'll say it again: you guys are in for quite the surprise" Washu

states "I thought I had seen it all in the last 20,000 years but then Tom and the Gray Wolf

come along and raise the standard in space travel"

The 4 individuals reach the subspace door and enter the Masaki living room.

"Is the Gray Wolf comparable to a cruise ship here on Earth?" Morien wondered.

"I'm not sure. I've never been on one before. I'm always stuck in my lab. You're the only

one who knows how to get me out of my lab, my dear husband"

Morien grins then puts his arm around Washu's neck as they walk into the dining room.

"I sure as hell would hope that I know how to do that. Today's is going to be an interesting

day. It's either going to be fun or I might be in a hospital by the time it's over"

Washu raised an eyebrow then looked at him.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I'm continuing my training with Russ today. I think Zorpheus is going to be there as

well. Taking on one Saiyin was hard enough but now I might have to put up with two"

They arrive at the dining room table. Like usual the people sitting at the table waited for

Morien and Washu to arrive but were more patient given the circumstances. Once Morien

sits down he notices that Kanta and Junko are not there.

"Washu, weren't they just behind us like seconds ago?" he asks sitting down in an open

spot between Vladimir and Ayeka.

"You know those two. An enigma until the end"

"Oh well. Their loss" he said eyeing the food on the table which looked better than any

gourmet chef creation. Sasami was bringing one more food item to the table while everyone

waited. Morien turns his head to his right.

"Morning, comrade. Sleep well?"

"I slept alright. Waking up was probably the most difficult thing I did today and it's not

even noon" Vladimir replies.

Morien now takes note that Kiyone is sitting next to him.

"Looks like you finally got around to it, huh" Morien says quietly

Vladimir looks at Morien strangely but within a few seconds he sees what he meant.

"Oh. We just talked…finally"

"Very nice. I thought it would have taken you years to build confidence to even say hello"

Kiyone catches on to the conversation.

"You know I can hear you two"

"So…Vladimir, nice weather we're having eh?"

"It's okay Morien. You should have seen it this morning. Everyone caught us talking to each

other thinking were in some relationship" Kiyone explains to him.

"Aww…Kiyone is in love!" Mihoshi blurts out.

Kiyone's veins start bulging out of her head.

"Mihoshi! How many times do I have to say we're not a couple or in love? We're just friends!"

"Are you two normally like this?" Vladimir asks.

Mihoshi just giggles while Kiyone rubs her temple trying to ease the stress out of herself.

Sasami came back from the kitchen with the last bowl of miso soup. With that breakfast started.

Even though Russ and Zorpheus were not there Sasami made extra food incase they wanted

to snack which they often did. 45 minutes passed when breakfast was over. Everyone helped

with cleaning and putting dishes away. Once finished Morien walks outside in black and red digital

camo military pants and a plain white sleeveless shirt ready to continue to train under Russ and

possibly Zorpheus as well. He stops and takes in the scenery from the deck. The sky was partially

cloudy but the temperature was a pleasant 79 degrees. The surrounding forest was very inviting as

the wave of green moved slightly in the light breeze. Beyond the forest were the mountains and on

one of the peaks Morien sights two dots constantly moving into each other; Russ and Zorpheus.

"Once again, here goes nothing" Morien says to himself then with his speed begins to make his way over.

On the top of a nameless mountain the conditions were anything but pleasant. The thin cold air would

drive just about anyone away but it's where Russ and Zorpheus are seen engaged in combat sharpening

their skills. Their movements break the sound barrier creating a sonic boom each time. Zorpheus rushes

towards Russ with a multi-fist attack similar to that of from street fighter. He was just inches from Russ's

face each time but Russ dodges all of them. Now taking his turn Russ fires an energy blast but rather

than swatting it away or dodging Zorpheus flies straight forward towards Russ. Zorpheus knew Russ was

going to dodge left or right. It was a 50-50 chance. Zorpheus decides to go with his left and throws out

an elbow jab. Luck was with him in that instant. It hits Russ on the left cheek and he is sent back about

100 feet but recovers as if it never happened and goes back on the offense. Russ flies to just 10 feet in

front of Zorpheus then vanishes from view. Zorpheus concentrates trying to figure out where Russ was

going to appear from. Feeling his energy Zorpheus begins to turn around to get into a defensive stance

but only makes it about halfway before Russ hits him in the back with a double-axe-handle blow sending

Zorpheus towards the ground. Zorpheus was moving too fast to stop himself from hitting the mountainside

so he braced himself for impact. To his surprise, halfway from hitting the mountain, he feels a hand grab

his ankle and was now traveling upwards again.

"Need a little help?" Morien said with a smirk.

Morien hurls Zorpheus upwards towards Russ with immense speed. It happened so fast Russ didn't see

Morien approaching and like Saiyin bullet Zorpheus strikes Russ in the chin with his head. Russ was now

hurling skyward reaching an altitude of around 47,000 feet before stopping. Not enjoying the below zero

temperatures that came with the height Russ quickly flies down to a much warmer altitude. On the side

of the mountain Morien and Zorpheus wait for Russ to return.

"You're speed is incredible, dude! I didn't even feel your energy before you interfered!" Zorpheus exclaimed.

"Oh come on. Interfered? I was helping my fellow man!" Morien said grinning. "Of course I'm sure Russ

is about to kick my ass all over this mountain"

"Nah. He's a good trainer. He won't give you more than you can handle unless you really get on his

nerves but that's a rare occurrence. I think I see him now"

Zorpheus catches Russ approaching quite fast. Soon he sets both feet on the mountainside in front

of both Zorpheus and Morien.

"At least I know now I don't have to teach you to be stealthy" Russ said. "That was quite the sneak

attack, using someone else's body as a projectile. It's been a long time since I've seen that. Anyways

welcome to the continuation of your training"

"I have a feeling I'm going to be in for it today" Morien grunted.

"Actually, we're taking a different route today. Rather than fighting I'm going to teach you a basic skill.

I'm going to train you to raise your power level. If you ever want to get stronger you need to learn

this simple but essential skill" Russ explained.

"Alright. How do I do that?"

Russ walks closer until he is about 5 feet in front of Morien.

"It takes concentration. Since this is your first time it will require a lot but the more you do this the

easier it becomes. Close your eyes and clear your mind first"

Shutting his eyes, Morien attempts to drain his thoughts from his head. Suddenly an image of Washu

nude in the Onsen with him comes to mind. He smiles but Russ starts to sweatdrop since he could

read minds.

"Uh dude, can you please concentrate? I really didn't want to see that"

Morien opens his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I…can read minds" Russ replied.

"Oh shit. Sorry you saw my wife naked"

"Enough! Back to the task at hand!" Russ facepalms for a few seconds then continues to

watch as Morien continues to drain his thoughts. Soon Russ reads Morien's mind and sees

it is clear.

"Good. Now imagine yourself flexing your muscles but in your mind. You need to have the

feeling like you want to flex but don't actually do it" Russ teaches.

"Ok. I'll try"

With clenched fists Morien closes his eyes again and attempts to do what Russ taught him.

Several minutes go by and Morien feels nothing.

"It doesn't seem to be working, Russ"

"Just keep going. It's not going to be instant the first time"

Morien continues. Several more minutes go by but this time the small pebbles around Morien's

feet start to rise upwards.

"Looks like he's got it" Zorpheus said.

Russ held out his right hand towards Zorpheus indicating for him to remain silent. Morien opens

his eyes and sees the small rocks now floating in the air in front of him

"So this is what powering up feels like. I like it"

"Practice this often. It's a skill that will save your ass a lot" Russ said. "Well, now that you know

how to power up, it's time to sit back and watch"

"What?" Morien asked confused

Russ and Zorpheus both sat on a boulder nearby watching the sky above Morien.

"What are you two doing?"

Morien looks up in the air but sees nothing.

"Great. This better not be a patience test" he grumbled.

Morien's answer came in the form of a fist. A flash of purple appeared from behind and struck

him in the back of the head sending him several feet into the mountainside creating a crater.

He recovers and standing in his place was Ayeka in a purple sleeveless training kimono. Her hair

was tied back into a long braided ponytail.

"Russ, what the hell is going on?" Morien asked with a trace of apprehension.

"I've lived here now for over a year. During that time I've been training Ayeka, Ryoko, and Tenchi

to become stronger and let me tell you: they've improved a lot in just a year!"

"So if I was a betting man I would bet that for my next test I have to fight Ayeka" Morien said.

"You would only be 1/3 correct, Morien" Russ said with a grin.

"What do you mean?"

Another blur, this time red, comes from out of the air and appears as Ryoko who stands on another

boulder. She was in her half red and half black battle attire. Not long after Tenchi is seen quickly making

his way over to the scene in Jurian battle attire. The hilt of his lighthawk sword was in his right hand.

Once he took his place on the rocks Russ spoke.

"Okay. Now that all 4 of you are here, this is what's going on. As they say in professional wrestling

this is what I like to call a Fatal-4-Way. Every man, and woman, for themselves. I want you guys to

put your training to the test. Don't kill each other though. Zorpheus and myself will be watching from

right here. Whenever you are ready, go!"

Each opponent looked at each other with determined looks. Ayeka looked straight ahead at Morien,

then Ryoko to her right, and Tenchi to her left. Everyone else did similar actions. They stare at each

for a few minutes in silence waiting for the first move to be made. The cold mountain air was now blowing

just above a typical breeze. Morien raised his fist up in the air causing Ryoko, Ayeka, and Tenchi to take

battle stances. Rather than lunging forward, he slams his fist into the rocky terrain instantly breaking

the ground under Ayeka and Tenchi's feet which resulted in them jumping into the air. With that Tenchi

swung his sword overhead to strike the Juraian princess but she easily blocks it with her shields. Back

on the mountain side Morien is now left with Ryoko but when he looks over at the boulder she is not

there. Now he feels something grab his ankle and continuously slams him into the ground like an angry

drunk man who slams a small dog into the concrete. He tries to escape Ryoko's grip but she has quite a

hold on him. With his loose leg he kicks her face causing her to release him. Suddenly she races forward

and machine gun punches him in the face multiple times. The impact on his face was comparable to being

hit by a sledge hammer. In response he grabs both of her wrists and head butts her multiple times then

with an overhead kick she slams into the ground breaking the rocks all around. Tenchi comes back down

on the ground with Ayeka pursuing. She fires multiple yellow energy blasts but Tenchi swats each of them

away using his blue energy sword like a baseball bat. Meanwhile back on a boulder in the distance Russ

and Zorpheus look on enjoying the performance.

"So, want to make bets?" Zorpheus asked.

"I'd rather not. Let's just watch and enjoy" Russ responded

"Who do you think has the upper hand?"

"Well all of their energy levels seem about even from what I'm feeling. Don't you think so?"

Zorpheus tries to detect each of their energy levels as they continue to battle each other.

"Yeah, actually they do all seem pretty even at the moment. You did train them to increase their energy

right? Even Tenchi?"

"Sure did, Zorph. That aspect should make this battle very interesting" Russ replied.

With shields up at a high level Ayeka advances towards Tenchi. Taking a few steps back he tries to

anticipate the next attack which would be delayed for a bit as Ryoko now stands in between Tenchi

and Ayeka.

"Ryoko this is just a training exercise" Tenchi says.

"I don't care! I'm not going to fight you, Tenchi. Not after everything you've done for me"

Before Ryoko makes a move, Morien jumps over both of them and now aims for Ayeka but he is

unaware of her shield until it's too late. He hits it like an insect into a bug-zapper and is shot up

into the air.

"Well it looks like he's out" Ryoko says looking at Morien becoming smaller as he goes higher.

"I don't want this to be 2 on one, Ryoko"

"It's alright Tenchi" Ayeka says. "I can take on both of you" she says with a smirk

"Oh it's like that is it, princess?" Ryoko responds. "Let's do this, Tenchi"

Even though he was against fighting against Ayeka, he stands by Ryoko's side and they both

begin an offense. Ayeka increases the power of her shield while Ryoko fires orange energy blasts

at her while flying towards her. After seeing what the shield did to Morien she did not want to

touch it.

"C'mon princess! Play fair and fight us!" Ryoko yelled out.

"Are you sure about that, Ryoko?" Ayeka asked.

"Yes…I think"

"Alright then"

Ayeka lifted her right arm into the air. Her shield now lifted from the ground while she stayed in

place. She was standing outside of her shield holding it over her head like it Goku's spirit bomb.

"This is new" Ryoko said.

Using the shield as an offensive weapon she fires it forward in the direction of Ryoko and Tenchi.

Tenchi holds out his lighthawk sword in an attempt to deflect it while Ryoko continues to fire energy

blasts which are deflected as the shield was coming upon them. It hits the lighthawk sword which

stops the advance but Tenchi struggles to keep it in place. He starts to slide backwards as the shield

pushes forwards. Ryoko's eyes turn completely black as her energy increases. Now at a much higher

level than the shield she simply walks to it and gives it a backhand swatting it back towards Ayeka

who in turns hits it right back towards Ryoko. This time it was Tenchi who swings hard and the shield

is again heading back towards Ayeka. Like a beach ball the shield was bounced back and forward

between Ayeka, Tenchi, and Ryoko.

"Oh come on. Now they're just playing around!" Russ complained.

"I find it amusing…say Russ do you feel that?"

Russ concentrated for a moment and felt a strange building energy from up in the air. He looks up

and spots Morien coming back down. In a Superman dive he aims for the 3 combatants a few thousand

feet below him. Russ started to become concerned.

"Zorpheus, there's something different about him!"

"I agree. Should we stop him?"

"Hold on"

In front of Morien's fists was a pendulum blade created from pure energy. Russ concentrated on it for

a second and felt an overwhelming amount of power.

"He could kill all of them with that attack! Get out of there you guys!"

The 3 stop with confused looks. Then Ryoko looks up and sees a massive blade coming down in their

direction.

"What the hell?"

Russ jumps from the boulder and flies directly above them trying to stop Morien but it was too late.

At the last second Russ uses his instant transmission in order to save Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka. Morien

strikes the mountain close to the summit. Back at the Masaki home Kiyone, Sasami, Mihoshi, and

Vladimir were watching Cash Cab on the television. A white flash suddenly covers the inside of the home

with a blinding light. Everyone gasps expecting the worse. Even Washu ran from her lab as an alarm

sounded from inside.

"Washu, what's happening?" Sasami asked scared.

"I don't know, Sasami!" she responds.

Washu looks out the window and sees a blue mushroom cloud where several mountains used to stand.

"Morien…it's happening" Washu said to herself.

The training ground was nothing more than a deep crater in the ground. A few of the surrounding

mountains were now completely gone. With a shield of his own, Russ floats down to solid ground

holding Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka in place then sets them down.

"Russ, what was that?" Ayeka asked concerned.

"I'm about to go find out. Wait here"

Russ flies down into the crater where Morien landed. Morien sits up holding his head. He was dizzy

and had a headache from the impact. As he tries to focus his vision Russ lands right in front of him.

"What…the…hell…was that?" He asked firmly.

"The attack? I was just powering up like you taught me and a random blade appeared in front of my

fists. It wasn't what I expected but I went with it" Morien responds.

"Morien, there was something else. As I concentrated on that attack I could feel Washu's energy. It

was almost as if she was right there with you"

"Ok, now you're just creeping me out"

"I'm just saying what I felt. What did you feel exactly?"

"As I readied that attack it felt like I was staring down the scope of a sniper rifle. I could only see

my target and nothing else around"

"If that's the case you learn very quickly" Russ said.

"I suppose. I'm sure whatever happened; it's nothing to be concerned about"

"I'll be the judge of that. Training's over. You did exceptionally well, nevertheless"

Both Morien and Russ walk out of the crater and meet up with Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, and Zorpheus.

"You scared the crap out of us for a second" Ryoko stated.

"I was just training like you guys were" Morien replies

"Training or trying to kill us?" Ryoko joked.

Everyone who fought had scratches and holes their fighting attire. As they made their way back home

they see everyone who was inside the house now standing outside still wondering where the explosion

came from. Russ, Zorpheus, and everyone else made their way on the deck and faced the group

standing by the door.

"Where were you guys?" Sasami asked

"Roller-skating" Morien responds.

"We're you roller-skating in a mine field?" asked Mihoshi.

"It was a joke, Mihoshi. Seriously, what happened to you guys?" Kiyone now asked.

"They were training, Kiyone. That explosion was part of the training" Russ explained.

Washu looks at her husband with a serious facial expression. There was more to that explosion then

anyone there realized, even Morien himself.

"Well, the important thing is that you all came back in one piece" Washu says. "Just try to keep this

planet intact please"

"Yeah I know" Morien says.

"Are you sure about that?" Washu says speaking to him telepathically.

"Okay so I don't" he responded back with his mind. "Anything I need to worry about?"

"Let's just say I'm glad you're on our side. When the time comes we are going to need all the help

we can get so no. I'm glad this new power of yours is coming to light"

"What new power? And what time are you talking about?"

"It will all be explained at the right time, Morien. For now just continue to train with Russ and the others"

Washu finishes speaking to him with her mind.

"Well, if we're done here I have lab work I need to finish"

Washu walks back into the house with everyone else following behind. At a shrine perched above the

level of the Masaki home, a Shinto priest looks out towards where the explosion came from. Part of the

dust cloud is still lingering in the air blowing towards the sea. There was now a large void in the mountain

range. He adjusts his glasses as he watches.

"So now there are 3 of them" he says to himself. "It's amazing how the closer we get to what could be

doomsday the more allies come to our side. Every battle that has taken place has revolved around Tenchi

in one way or another. Not to mention Tenchi's training has improved significantly. I have the utmost

confidence in Tenchi, Ayeka, and Ryoko"

It was now evening. Everyone had already eaten dinner and were tending to their own business. A soap

opera was on the television as Ayeka, Ryoko, Mihoshi, Kiyone, Sasami, and Washu watched. In Washu's lab,

Morien sat on a holographic chair in front of her main computer. Washu had taught him how to use it in

case he wanted to use the internet in which this case he did. The large computer screen lit up displaying

the internet browser.

"Ok…email…" he said to himself.

In a few short seconds his email account shows the recent emails he received. Only one of them caught

his attention. It was from his brother, Mordecai. Clicking on the link he opens the email.

"Hey bro! Or should I say guardian? Hahaha! Anyways, what the hell man? I never hear from ya anymore!

I'm doing great. I just got promoted to vice president of Echelon Electronics. You might think work is more

demanding but I find that I have more free time so if you're ever back in the states give let me know.

Love ya bro!"

Morien chuckles at the email and was about to respond when the screen flashed "incoming message."

"Hmm, I suppose I'll get it and let them know she's busy"

Morien allows the message to come through and on the computer screen, an image of a blonde short

haired man who looked quite young and eyes that matched Washu's eyes, is displayed.

"Oh, hello. Not exactly who I was expecting. Is Washu around?"

"She is but she isn't. What's your name?"

"I'm Akaki"

Upon hearing that name, Morien stops knowing full well who he's talking to.

"Akaki you say?"

"Yes sir"

"Umm…well I'm not sure what to say other than…hello my stepson"

Now Akaki opened both eyes very wide upon hearing those words.

"What? Stepson?"

"Washu didn't tell you did she?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Morien, Washu's husband"

Akaki gazed at Morien in disbelief.

"My mother never wanted to re-marry. Is this some kind of joke?"

"Akaki, 20,000 years ago you were taken from Washu due to the social status of your real father.

Yes I know Washu intended on never remarrying but as fate would have it I came along and turned

her views on themselves"

"You're going to have to do better than that"

"We got married at a temple in the center of the Andromeda Galaxy"

Morien holds up his hand showing Akaki the ring on his finger. Akaki recognizes the symbols on the

ring and was aware it was a place where beings of high power go to become bonded in marriage.

"You're got to be kidding me. She really did remarry!"

"I wouldn't lie to you"

"So now I have a stepfather as well?"

"It would seem that way. You know, you have Washu's eyes. It's not hard to tell you are her son.

That must also mean you have her genius traits"

"I wish I did. I'm into science and such but I'm nowhere near my mother's level. I'm not even sure

if that's possible"

"You may want to hit the books harder"

"How did you convince my mother to remarry?"

"I didn't. Once we met she flat out said she was done being alone and wanted another chance at

being loved. So here we are"

Morien looks behind Akaki and sees a brown acoustic guitar hanging on the wall.

"Nice guitar. How good are you?"

Akaki turns around and looks at the guitar then back at the screen.

"Oh that old thing. Yeah, I play. I wouldn't say I'm good though"

"That usually means you're pretty good"

"Do you play, Morien?"

"Yes and I love it. Nothing like a good metal riff!"

"You like metal too? See, my mom is not fond of it at all. We had a conversation about it once and

I couldn't convince her to give it a chance"

"I like you already. We need to have a jam session at some point!"

"I haven't jammed forever. That sounds like it would be fun. I don't know the next time I'll be there

though. Is there a way I can add you to my contact list?"

"I have email?"

"You still use email? No offense but email is obsolete over here. Tell you what, I'll just have my mom

come get you when I want to contact you"

"That or I can just create an account on her computer. It can't be that difficult"

"Either or. But yeah wow. I have a stepfather now. And he plays guitar"

"How do you think I felt when I found out I had a stepson, Akaki?"

"I can imagine.. So my mother is busy then?"

"She's watching a soap opera with the girls. You know how much they love their soap operas"

"That I do. I'm going to get back to my research. It was very nice meeting you. We will catch up

soon. I still can't believe this!"

"It was nice meeting you as well. Until next time, rock out!"

Morien gives him the metal horns symbol with his hands and Akaki does it right back. Then

the screen goes black.

"Well he seems nice"

Morien turns around to find Kanta alone in the lab.

"Oh. Where have you been all day?"

"Over the hills and far away. Listen, Morien…and yes I called you Morien…there's something

we need to talk about"

"I'm listening"

Kanta walks closer until is just a few feet from Morien.

"I'm not sure if you've felt this yet but I think something evil and destructive is coming"

"What makes you say that?"

"Every time I get a feeling like this it always becomes a reality. Remember the Windy City

Campaign? You didn't believe me at first"

"So say there is something coming…what is it?"

"Something powerful. Something you may not be able to handle. I hate to say it but I won't

be able to help you if this does happen. I'll try to do whatever I can behind the scenes but it's

coming. It's going to get ugly"

"Is there any way of finding out before it comes?"

"That would be Washu's department"

"Did you just get this feeling now, that some apocalyptic force was on its way?"

"I've thought about it for a while but once I was sure I decided to come tell you. For now just

keep this between us. I'm sure there are a few others that know"

"Shouldn't we tell…."

"No, Morien. Keep this between us. Besides let's just enjoy ourselves while we still can. I'm

going to your place. Junko is having a party in the tub and I'm the only one invited" he said

running towards the door that lead to Morien's condo in Germany.

"He'll never change" Morien said to himself. "It's a bit early but tomorrow is the big day. I should

hit the sack now"

Morien walks to Washu's room and pulls his shirt off then gets under the covers, drifting off to

sleep in just a few minutes.

Back in the house the soap opera was done and everyone had gone to go pack or sleep except

Vladimir and Kiyone who sat on the couch watching the Russian Discovery Channel again.

"I don't understand a single word" Kiyone said

"Can you understand CNN, at least?"

She nods. He changes the channel to the news which actually puts him to sleep quickly. Kiyone

lowers the volume still watching the television. About 20 minutes later she also falls asleep in place.

Her body slouches to the left; her head lands on Vladimir's shoulder. Both of them were now snoring

loudly making an interesting scene on the sofa. The same Shinto priest from the shrine enters the

home and the first thing he sees is Kiyone and Vladimir passed out on the sofa with the television

still on. He raises an eyebrow then smiles walking over to the TV shutting it off.

_**End of Chapter 5**_


	6. A Space Oddity

**Chapter 6**

In a crammed office space littered with papers and cabinets about to burst open, Vash the

Stampede wrote down numbers in a logbook keeping track of how much product he was

selling and when shipments were due to arrive. Being a successful establishment in the

heart of the downtown area in Singapore was demanding and required a deal of focus

due to how constantly busy the donut shop was. Vash, along with two other employees,

worked around the clock taking and serving orders: the normal routine for a day at the

shop. This day was a bit different. The hour was getting close to noon but the shop was

not in the least bit busy. It surprised Vash but he knew it would not last long and cherished

the time he had as a break before business picked up again. The smell of pastries cooking

was urging Vash to help himself to several freshly made donuts but keeping his customers

first he restrained himself, remaining in his seat. He would reward himself at the end of the

day. He stands up and looks out the door leading to the area behind the front counter. Only

one person was sitting at a table. She had pink headphones in her ears and occasionally

sipped a small cup of chai tea while reading a book. The two employees were either wiping

tables or keeping a close eye on anything that was cooking. The walls were yellow and

green stripes running vertically throughout the donut shop. Once Vash sees that everything

is in seemingly perfect running order, he turns back and sits down in his chair. Crossing his

arms and closing his eyes he thinks back to planet Gunsmoke. More in particular, he thought

of Merryl. "Hopefully it won't be too long. I'll come back and get you" he thought to himself.

He reminisced about everything they did together beginning from where they first met to

leaving Merryl and Milly behind in a small village so that he could face his brother. A knock

was heard at his door. Opening his eyes and turning around he sees one of his employees

in his black shirt, khaki pants, and beige visor with the company logo on it.

"Oh hey, Lubu. Did you need something?"

"Mr. Vash, someone is here to see you"

Vash's facial expression showed he was slightly surprised at first but then thought

it was perhaps a customer who had a question about the store. Standing up again

he follows his employee to the front counter. The man standing on the other side had

his face down and on his head was a white fedora. His suit was beige and he wore a

plain black tie. Vash puts his hands together like a Buddhist monk in meditation.

"Hello, sir. Can I help you?"

The man looked up with gun metal blue eyes back at Vash causing him to open both

eyes wide.

"Maybe. It's been a while, brother hasn't it?"

Since the battle with the INSF Vash, and his brother, Knives the Genocide parted ways

not saying a single word to each other since then. Now that they were face to face

again, Vash wondered why, after several years, Knives suddenly appeared. Even more

of a mystery to him was how Knives found him in the heart of a large city such as

Singapore. Lubu looked back at the two looking a bit concerned not knowing what to

make of what was happening in front of him.

"Knives? Where have you been all these years? And how did you find me?"

"Have you forgotten who you are? I could detect your energy even while I was still

roaming this planet"

Vash's face was now straight as he felt more comfortable in the situation.

"So I still have energy? I'm surprised"

"Why do you ask that?" Knives questioned.

"I put down my gun a while ago, Knives. I opened up this shop you are standing in.

It's been nothing but fun for a long time"

"You gave up your only skill to open up a mediocre eating establishment among these

spiders?" he said raising his voice.

Vash looked hurt.

"There is no need to fight anymore. These are good people who want to live in peace"

"No need to fight? Vash, have you seen what's been going on? Ever since that Guardian

of Earth appeared no one is safe. It's only a matter of time before he decides to take

over the Earth"

"Guardian? Wait, Morien? Knives, Morien is not going to do that. Trust me. His intentions

are good for all people. Heck, I know him personally"

Knives slams his fists down into the counter causing Lubu to jump. The other employee

was now focused on what was happening at the front counter.

"You what!"

"Does that bother you? Yes I know Morien personally. I don't know if you were paying

attention but I too was part of the Windy City Campaign. I have no qualms about shooting

things that aren't biological. It was almost a coincidence that we met in Chicago"

"Hold on a moment. Isn't this Morien the same one who crushed that rebellion of the

INSF? Along with a few others?"

"That would be him, brother"

Knives stands up straight and scratches his forehead, lifting up his fedora slightly.

"How did I miss this? It never registered that the Guardian of Earth was in fact this

Morien person"

"Why else did you come here?"

"I've sensed high level energy on this planet for a while now. It seems to be staying in

the same place somewhere in southern Japan"

Vash thought for a moment realizing it was where the Masaki residence was.

"It seems that Tenchi's home is a magnet for newcomers of all kinds"

"Don't tell me you've met them too, Vash"

Vash chuckles slightly.

"No but with the exception of the events taking place in Chicago years ago it seems

that most of the world's troubles recently have someway been associated with Tenchi

or someone living there"

"And now, since you've been filled in, I propose we pay them a visit"

Vash wondered about his brother's sudden interest in these newcomers.

"Why should we do that?"

"I've never felt power like that before so I'm curious. That and it could be my ticket off

this planet"

Vash again looks at Knives in mild surprise.

"Why would you want to leave here?"

"Because I prefer being alone. I'm still not used to being around these spiders even

though I can tolerate them now"

"This planet is such a beautiful place, Knives. Just find a place here to live alone if that

is what you want"

"Are you coming with me or not?"

"I don't think I can. I'm the only one who knows how to run this place"

After keeping quiet for the duration of the conversation Lubu spoke again.

"Mr. Vash. I know how to run this store"

Vash turns his head over towards where Lubu stood.

"Do you now?"

"Yes"

"You can run the machines and do all the paperwork?"

"All you have to do is know how to count donuts and money. How hard could it be?"

"Wait what are you saying?"

"You see brother? Look how this spider is being condescending to you by stating

you chose a simple career because he thinks you are incapable of doing anything else!"

"No no! I meant that I can manage the store while he's gone. I'm just trying to help,

not offend anyone! Don't kill me!"

Lubu cowered in fear as Knives glared at him.

"At ease, Knives. He's a good employee and I know he didn't mean anything by

saying that. I guess this means I'm going with you then. How are we getting there?"

"Don't concern yourself over that. When you are ready use your senses to find me

in this city"

Knives turns towards the front entrance and walks out.

"Your brother is…interesting Mr. Vash"

"Yeah but he's come a long way from what he once was, Lubu"

"How so?"

"Don't worry about that. Maybe I'll tell you later"

A few minutes after Knives left a sudden rush hit the donut shop and Vash, along

with his two employees, became very busy taking and serving orders.

* * *

It was just after lunch. The day had finally arrived. In a few hours each member living

at the Misaki home, as well as the newcomers, would journey to Tom's ship known as

the Gray Wolf. No one had packed in advanced and decided to do it on this day which

called for insanity at the household as people, mainly the women, frantically looked for

items to take with them even though it was supposed to be a 3 or 4 day trip. Russ, Kanta,

Morien, Tenchi, Zorpheus, and Nobuyuki all sat in the living room chuckling while listening

to the girls upstairs. Phrases like "I can't find it anywhere" to "Did anyone take…?" could

be heard.

"It was almost like this last time" Russ said with a grin.

"Well you have to understand…" Kanta started.

"…that they're women?" Zorpheus says.

"Exactly" Kanta confirms.

"Isn't this supposed to be a short 3 day trip?" Morien asked.

Russ had his head turned towards the window and looked at the nature outside until

he came across Vladimir and Alex having a conversation outside on the deck. Alex was

blowing out smoke from his cigarette and Vladimir tried to wave it away. It seemed that

Vladimir never took up smoking. Once Morien's question goes through his mind he brings

his focus back on the conversation.

"Oh…yeah it is. It depends on what Tom has in store. It could be longer" Russ replies.

From the top of the stairs Ryo-Ohki makes her way down and turns towards the group

in the living room. She stares for a moment then jumps up and lands on top of Morien's

head from behind. This caused Morien to jump a bit, flailing his arms and accidentally

hitting Kanta, who was sitting next to him, in the chin.

"Oww! What the hell, asshat?" Kanta shouts.

Everyone else around laughs taking in the humor unfolding. Even Alex and Vladimir

outside looked in long enough to see Morien hit Kanta and laughed as well.

"Dude…well I'm not sure if I'm sorry or not" Morien says with a smirk. "But I've already

told you. I jump easily. I don't like surprises like that"

"But at the cost of my beautiful chin?" Kanta said still holding his chin.

Morien raises an eyebrow at Kanta.

"Beautiful you say?"

"Hey, I have Junko now. I think that counts for something"

"You know, on that subject once again, since she never told us…what are you two?"

Morien asked.

"Yeah, I'm kind of curious myself" Russ added.

"And you're going to get the same response. We are what you see. I will neither

confirm nor deny anything" Kanta stated.

"Have you at least banged her brains out?" Zorpheus asked bluntly.

"Now why would I tell you that?" Kanta asked with his arms crossed.

"You know you want to" Zorpheus responded.

"Actually, no I don't. My lips remained sealed. If you really want to find out…well, no.

I won't even go there"

Everyone in the room smirked.

"I can't tell if you answered Zorpheus's question or not" Russ says.

"Well how would you like it if I asked you if any of you if you've been getting laid?"

Kanta retorted.

"And what do you think the answer to that would be?" Morien asked with a grin with

everyone else sitting down following suit.

Kanta just let out a groan but said nothing more.

"I almost forgot…there's a something on my head"

Morien puts his hand on top of Ryo-Ohki and places her on his lap.

"Ok, let's see if I can still do this: Hello Ryo-Ohki"

She gives off a meow.

"Excellent. I can still understand you"

"You can?" Kanta asks in slight amazement.

"Yeah. It's all mental but I can communicate with this cute little furry thing as if it was

another person. So, I take it you are our ride to Tom's ship then, Ryo-Ohki?"

Ryo-Ohki gave off a happy meow response. She even told Morien how the first time she

encountered Tom's ship she was frightened by the tractor beam.

"Apparently she had a bad experience with a tractor beam the first time you guys

went to see Tom"

"Yeah, I remember that. I had to calm her down and convince her he was just guiding

us in" Russ said.

"So you still addicted to carrots then?" Morien asks the cabbit.

She meows again letting him know she will always be. Morien chuckles and thinks to

himself "I can't believe I'm talking to an animal. I'm like Dr. Doolittle"

Meanwhile, the upstairs part of the house was more or less in a state of panic as Ryoko,

Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Kiyone gathered any items they thought they would need

for the trip even if they believed they were over-packing.

"Whose idea was it to pack this late?" Ryoko asked to herself.

"It wasn't anyone's idea, Ryoko. We didn't really plan this out at all" Sasami overheard

and responded.

"Oh well. I think I'm just going to call it good. I suppose if I need anything else I can find

it on the Gray Wolf" Ryoko stated closing a suitcase.

She was the first one done packing and leaving Sasami behind, she walks into the hallway,

passing by a room with both Kiyone and Mihoshi in it. Not surprisingly Kiyone was yelling at

her GXP partner but Mihoshi seemed to be impervious to Kiyone's rants now. After all the

years being partners in the Galaxy Police, Mihoshi had gotten more and more used to Kiyone's

fury but her clumsiness had not changed in the least bit. Ryoko chuckled to herself and headed

downstairs.

"Kiyone, come on. I still may be clumsy but knowing that you don't have to be jealous

anymore should bring you some peace inside" Mihoshi explained.

"Yeah well…actually yeah you're right. Wait, how did you know…?" Kiyone asked.

"I could always sense it. Ever since Zorpheus and I got together I could always sense a

bit of envy from you. I just never took the time to talk to you about it because I didn't know if

you wanted to"

Kiyone was taken back.

"You could sense that?"

"Yup. But none of that really matters now does it?" Mihoshi responds with her bubbly smile.

"I still can't believe you're in love, Kiyone!"

"Mihoshi! For about the one-hundredth time we're not in love. But…I do like him…quite

a bit" Kiyone

blushes.

"I'm so happy for you two. I hope all works out for you"

"Thanks Mihoshi" Kiyone smiles.

"By the way, I heard that you two slept on the sofa last night"

This catches Kiyone off guard and she starts to sweat a bit.

"Uh….well…I fell asleep and landed on his shoulder and apparently he was also asleep when

this happened"

"Are you sure nothing else happened?" Mihoshi winks at her.

"No, Mihoshi…no" Kiyone was a bit irritated but kept her composure. "So despite what I

told you on the Yagami before our battle with the Jurians, you and Zorpheus still became

something. How is that going?"

Mihoshi continued to pack as she told Kiyone her story.

"Well I did take that into consideration before we started dating. He said that as long

as we were together he would be loyal to me. If Sasami trusts him then so will I. Sasami's

judgment has never been wrong before"

"And how did you two start? I don't recall you ever telling me"

Mihoshi now blushes thinking about that day.

"I fell into the pond from the deck. Clumsy me I know. But when I resurfaced Zorpheus

was there. After asking if I was okay he reached out his hand and pulled me up. Because

my shoes were wet, when I tried to stand up on the deck I slipped and sort of pushed

him, making him fall back and I landed on top of him. Lifting my head up I remember him

staring at me and I did the same back. Something clicked and he asked me if we could go

for a walk. Of course I said 'yes.' A few days after that he asked me if I wanted to be his

girlfriend which is what I thought was going to happen but it still surprised me. So here

we are now"

"I see. I really do hope he stays loyal. You deserve nothing but the best"

"Aww thanks, Kiyone. Usually he acts a bit perverted when he's with Russ or any of the

other guys but he treats me so well. He's such a man! So then what's Vladimir like?"

"Well even though I don't know him that well yet I find him very nice, easy to talk to, and

he knows how to make me laugh. Of course being cute is a bonus. I don't get nervous

often but when I first tried to talk to him I may as well have been intoxicated. It was

quite difficult. I'm glad that's somewhat over with"

Mihoshi and Kiyone continued their conversation while they packed. In another room

Ayeka was about to finish packing. As she put a few last articles of clothes into a

suitcase she looked at a small dresser and saw a necklace on the top. Walking over

she picked it up and put it on.

"I don't want to forget this" she told herself.

She thought about the day when Tenchi and Ryoko presented the necklace to her.

It brought a smile to her face. Sitting next to the spot where she picked up the necklace

was a photo of Russ with her inside the frame. In the photo they both faced towards

the camera. Russ stood behind with his arms around her waist and his head resting on

her left shoulder. Ayeka stood with her arms crossed. Both of them looked very happy

and in love in the photograph. Her smile persisted as she looked at the photograph. It

was soon broken when she felt a hand on her shoulder making her jump a bit. Quickly

turning around she sees it's Russ and her smile returns.

"You jump almost as easily as I do" Russ says with a grin.

"I was in thought. And you were in it" she replies.

"Well now, am I in trouble?"

"Big trouble. You're going to pay for making me fall in love with you"

Russ begins to chuckle.

"So what's my punishment, Ayeka?"

"I could think of a million ways to make you 'pay'"

"That could be fun"

Ayeka giggles to herself as Russ walks closer to her. Lightly taking hold of each other's

hands, they kiss. She then lays her head on his chest and embraces him on both sides.

They remain like this for several minutes.

"So are you almost ready, Ayeka?"

"I'm just going to do what Ryoko did and call it good. Like I overheard her say, if I do

need anything or forgot something I can just get it on Tom's ship"

"Wait, so you're not going to keep us waiting like last time?" he says with a smirk.

Ayeka glares at him for a moment but then breaks it, taking in the good humor.

"If you want me to keep you all waiting I can do that"

"I personally wouldn't care but the others might start a lynch mob and march up here"

While still holding on to Russ she glances around the room one more time to make sure

she had everything she needed.

"Russ?"

"Yes, Ayeka?"

"Have I changed your mind yet?" she asked with a smile.

"About what?"

"You're future role as Emperor"

Ayeka thought that was going to get him riled up but she was wrong.

"Before our fight was over, Morien actually talked briefly to me about why I should take

on that role. Believe it or not I'm a bit more convinced now. I'm still not saying 'yes' but

I'm not going to tell you 'no' either"

"Really?"

Ayeka's eyes lit up with a look of hope in her face.

"Yes. But I don't want to think about that right now. I do believe we have a crowd

waiting for us downstairs"

"Well keep on thinking about that Russ"

"Here let me take your suitcase, Ayeka"

"No that's fine. I have it"

"I insist, let me take it"

"Russ. It's really sweet what you are doing but I'm fine"

"I'm not letting a princess take a heavy suitcase down the stairs"

"First of all it's not that heavy and second of all I'm not letting the future Emperor of

the greatest empire in the galaxy carry my suitcase. Now if you please, follow me down

the stairs"

As she started to drag her suitcase it made a metal-grinding-on-metal sound on the

floor. She stops and looks blankly at Russ.

"Ok. Maybe it is a bit heavy. Do you think…you could help me with my suitcase?"

Russ facefaulted on the floor but gets back up and laughs.

"Of course, dear"

Effortlessly putting the suitcase on his shoulder he walks into the hall then down the

stairs with Ayeka following close behind. The voices on the main floor were getting

louder as they got closer. Now part of the group in the living room were Ryoko and Washu

both sitting on the laps of their significant others being how room was starting to get tight.

"Looks like the last of them are down here" Nobuyuki said taking note.

"Where are Mihoshi and Kiyone?" Ayeka asked

"They packed their things into the Yagami and took off. They will meet up in space with us then

we will all make the short trek to the Gray Wolf" Nobuyuki replied.

Russ placed Ayeka's suitcase by the front entrance with the other ones waiting to be put

aboard Ryo-Ohki. Morien looks around the living room and notices neither Kanta or Junko

were present.

"Has anyone see Kanta and Junko?"

"They're outside. I think they're on the other side of the pond" Washu responds.

"I think I'm going to go wait outside" Morien says.

"That means I have to get up" Washu pouts.

"You can come with me you know"

"I suppose"

"Hey guys, we'll be right back. We're going to step outside for a second"

Everyone else nodded and Morien along with Washu got up and walked towards the

front door.

"Hey, I'll catch up. I need to get something from my lab"

Washu turns around and heads towards her lab. Finding his boots Morien picks them

up and walks out the front door. When he closes it he turns around and in front of him

is the Shinto priest from the shrine up on the high hill that overlooks the valley where

the home is. They both stop for a moment. Morien looks into his eyes which are almost

the same color as Ayeka's.

"Hello there"

"Greetings. I don't believe we've met before. I've heard a bit about you"

"Oh?"

"I'm Katsuhito, Tenchi's grandfather"

"Morien"

They both shake hands and Katsuhito takes note of Morien's energy.

"You're energy is quite high. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were about to do battle"

Katsuhito places both hands behind his back and Morien crosses his arms.

"Really? I was only taught how to raise my energy in combat not lower it. I might as well

wear a big sign that reads 'come shoot me'" Morien says.

"You are Washu's husband are you not?"

"I am. How did you know that?"

"Washu told me herself. She made me swear not to tell anyone else. I'm surprised you

two kept it away from the others for so long"

"I'm just glad everyone now knows and they easily accepted it. I never expected to marry

someone who is literally from out of this world. I always entertained the thoughts from time

to time of extra-terrestrial life and I'm practically one of them now"

"I'm sure you've been told this already but this is only the beginning"

Morien glances slightly behind Katsuhito and sees Kanta and Junko in the distance sitting

on the shore waiting like everyone else to head to the Gray Wolf.

"You're friends behind me are rather interesting" Katsuhito starts.

"You've talked to them?"

"For a bit yes. I find it enigmatic how those two get along"

"That makes two of us"

Katsuhito's face becomes a bit more serious.

"Well you couldn't have come at a better time, Morien"

"Why do you say that?"

Rather than speaking in riddles or beating around the bush Katsuhito gets straight to

the point.

"There is an evil approaching"

"You're not the first one to tell me that"

"Russ and Zorpheus have, so far, proven to be the most powerful beings I have ever seen. I

don't know much about you but from what I've heard you can hold your own against Russ

pretty well until he transforms. Nevertheless we are going to need all the help we can get"

"Do you even know who or what it is we might be dealing with?"

Katsuhito looks at him for a few moments with a straight face.

"Lady Tokimi. That's all I can tell you because that is all I know right now"

"So what is this Lady Tokimi capable of?"

"Again, the name is all I know"

Morien looks up in the sky taking in everything Katsuhito explained to him. He sighs then looks

back at the Shinto priest.

"It looks like I might have to take that Guardian role to a whole new level. It seems the more

I try to escape from it the more I need to use it"

"Why try to escape from it, Morien? This is a rare gift that you have been given. A mere human

being now capable of achieving extraordinary power. The people of Earth have called you

guardian. I would take up that role. One day Russ will leave to hopefully become Emperor

when Ayeka takes the throne as Empress. I'm sure Zorpheus will leave as well…probably with

Mihoshi" he chuckles a bit at the thought "So that will leave you and Washu here on earth.

Tenchi and Ryoko, along with Sasami, will most likely stay as well"

"At this point, who knows where I'll end up. What's your connection to this family?"

Katsuhito now crosses his arms as he tells his story.

"I'm also known as Prince Yosho. I was next in line for the throne on Jurai. Ryoko, who was

under control of a man named Kagato at the time, had assaulted much of Jurai. As she left I

chased after her which led me here to Earth. I trapped her in a cave not far from here where

she remained for 700 years. Tenchi then released her during his younger years. Soon after,

the rest of the girls appeared almost all at the same time. They've all lived here ever since"

"Look how far you've all come"

"You're telling me. I never predicted any of this to happen"

The front door opens and Washu walks out to see Morien and Katsuhito engaged in

conversation.

"Hello you two. I see you've finally met" she says.

"Is there anyone else I haven't met?" Morien asks.

"That should be all. The list of people here keeps growing so it's hard to keep track. Are

you coming with us Lord Katsuhito?"

"No, Washu. I have matters to attend to here but it's not like you're going to be gone

for a month. I'll keep an eye out here for things"

"You mean for Lady Tokimi?

Washu gasps a bit.

"You told him?"

"Everyone who is capable of helping us needs to know, Washu" Katsuhito tells her.

"I don't want you to feel burdened, Morien"

"It's okay, Washu. Besides I think a new challenge just might be the thing I need after

a few years of not having any action."

Washu now speaks to him mentally.

"Like I don't give you enough action"

He opens his eyes very wide and sweatdrops.

"You know what I meant, Washu"

"Oh I know. I just love your extreme facial reactions"

"Before we we're married, you weren't like this at all"

"You try going 20,000 years without sex. I want to enjoy it as often as possible and I

think during this short trip we can continue where we left off"

"Well I have no problem with that!" he says out loud getting an eyebrow raise from Katsuhito.

"I don't think I want to know. Anyways I'm going to head back to the shrine. I hope

you all have a great time. It was nice meeting you, Morien"

"It was nice meeting you as well"

They shake hands again then Katsuhito turns around and walks towards the direction

of the shrine.

"I'm glad everyone here quickly accepted me"

"Russ said the same thing" Washu replies.

"You are taking a break from lab work on this trip aren't you?" he asked changing the

subject.

"Why would I do that?" she asked flatly.

"Oh well then nevermind"

"Don't worry. I'm not going to be a shut in. It's mainly to study Tom's ship. To this day

there is still no other ship out there like it and I would love to know its secrets"

"Tom does not seem like someone who would give out secrets like that"

"It depends on if they've ironed out most of the bugs from the systems"

The sound of the front door opens as everyone in the living room gets ready to walk out.

"It sounds like they are getting ready. I'll grab your stuff too"

"Thanks babe" she winks at him.

He returns a smirk to her then walks into the house.

"This is the big day so ya ready?" Russ asks sounding rather excited.

"Definitely. I'm going into outer space for the first time" Morien replies.

"It never gets old. Is everyone else ready then?" Russ asks.

A unified "YES" comes from the people inside and within seconds everyone steps

onto the deck. Ryoko walks out a bit further.

"Ok Ryo-Ohki. It's time!" she exclaims.

Underhand tossing the cabbit into the air, Ryo-Ohki gets about a hundred feet before

letting out a loud "Meow" then transforming into the massive crystalline ship covered

with spikes at just about every end. Kanta and Junko were already on their way over

when Ryo-Ohki transformed. Junko stared in utter shock at the sight of the massive

space vessel.

"What on Earth is that thing, Kanta?"

"That is Ryo-Ohki, our ticket to our very first space expedition"

"Come to think of it, I shouldn't be that surprised considering everything else I've

seen so far" Junko states.

Kanta and Junko reach everyone else who are standing directly under Ryo-Ohki.

Moments later all are surrounded by a bright white light and are transported aboard

the cabbit ship. Once the luggage is on board Ryoko takes her seat at the controls

and Tenchi takes the open seat next to her.

"Ryo-Ohki, take us to space!" Ryoko shouts.

The ship responds with a "meow" and rapidly lifts upwards. Each person feels the

slight G-Forces produced by the sudden ascension but the technology inside Ryo-Ohki

minimized any effects of extreme movements. Ryoko pressed a button which opened

a viewing port so that people could see the Earth quickly becoming smaller and smaller.

A rush of excitement came across the newcomers. Morien, Kanta, Junko, Alex, and Vladimir

gazed in awe as they watched Japan start to take the shape of what people would

see on a world map. In addition they spot two small dots following not far behind as

Russ, in his Tie Defender, and Zorpheus, in his Toscan Fighter, flanked behind Ryo-Ohki.

In only a few minutes Ryo-Ohki broke out of Earth's gravitational pull and was on her

way to Tom's ship. A green light flashed on the controls indicating an incoming transmission

which Ryoko was expecting. Allowing it to come through, Kiyone appears on the

viewing screen wearing casual clothes rather than her GXP attire.

"Hey there. Just left Earth and should be passing by you two in a few moments"

"Copy that, Ryoko"

Ryoko began to speak but Kiyone wasn't really focused on that. Her eyes looked into the

screen, setting her sights on the man she liked as he had his back turned looking out

through the observation window.

"Uhh, Kiyone"

She remembered what he said about wanting to 'hang out' as he called it. She greatly

looked forward to it.

"Kiyone"

A slow smile crept onto her face at the thought of spending time with Vladimir. Tom's ship

offered many places to go and things to do.

"Kiyone!"

She snapped out of her daydream at the sound of Ryoko nearly shouting her name.

"What was that about, Kiyone…wait a second..."

Ryoko turns around towards the direction Kiyone was looking and sees Vladimir down

the line of sight. Ryoko grins then turns back towards Kiyone.

"Oh, I see"

"Sssh. Please spare me the embarrassment, Ryoko"

"Kiyone is in love!" Mihoshi blurts out from behind her GXP partner's seat, getting everyone

to look towards the screen then at Vladimir who turns a bit red. Kanta pats him lightly

on the back and laughs.

"Go get her, tiger!" Alex yells.

Now Kiyone turns almost blood red.

"Please excuse me guys, I need to yell at my partner here" Kiyone says turning off the

communication for a moment.

Everyone inside the cabbit ship was left to wonder what Kiyone was about to unleash

on Mihoshi. Minutes afterwards the Yagami moves forward from its idle state and joins

Ryo-Ohki, Russ, and Zorpheus as they raced just a few hundred thousand miles beyond

the moon then slowed down to a stop.

"Did we just stop?" Kanta asked noticing the humming inside the ship had ceased.

"Yup" Ryoko responded while pressing keys on the controls.

"Ok, so are we going to keep moving?"

"Patience Kanta" Morien said.

"We're already here" Tenchi says responding to Kanta.

Morien turns around and looks out the viewing port but doesn't see anything.

"We are? From what Tom described this ship was supposed to be about a mile long and

hard to miss" he said turning back towards the controls. He was about to say something

else when he looks at Kanta who is gazing out of the viewing window looking stunned.

His eyes slowly started to widen. Morien got an idea of what he was looking at but to

confirm he turns around again and finally sees what he had looked forward to seeing for

a while. As if appearing from nothingness, the pearl white walls of the Imperial Star Destroyer

_Gray Wolf _come out of its cloaked state which dwarfed the 4 vessels seeking a place to dock

to in the massive ship. The newcomers were marveled at the sight of the ship. Even though

they were not really Star Wars fans they couldn't help but be very impressed with Tom's ship.

"So this is the Gray Wolf" Morien says to himself.

"I'm not really one to be amazed but I really have to succumb to my feelings here…this

is beyond amazing!" Kanta says.

"Mother Russia has nothing on this" Vladimir says gazing at the Gray Wolf.

"Mother Russia doesn't have a lot of anything" Alex responds.

"Where is your patriotism, Comrade?" Vladimir asks surprised.

"I'll explain later…over some Vodka, perhaps?" Alex wonders.

"You had me at Vodka. A real life Star Wars vessel and Vodka…can this trip get any

better?" Vladimir states with an excited tone.

"What about Kiyone?" Junko asks.

Vladimir's smile grows bigger.

"It just got better!" he exclaims getting a chuckle from everyone within earshot.

Soon Russ's face appeared on the controls.

"Glad to see everyone made it. Follow my Tie Defender to the bottom of the ship and

the tractor beam will do the rest of the work"

"Are you going to be okay this time, Ryo-Ohki?" Morien asked the cabbit ship.

She lets out a "meow."

"She says she has no problems with tractor beams now" Morien translates.

"Are you actually communicating with her or making this up?" Alex asks curiously.

"No, they are certainly communicating. I can hear her talk back to him" Ryoko says while

guiding Ryo-Ohki to the bottom of the Gray Wolf "I find it odd she can communicate with

you, Morien, but no one else except for myself and Washu"

They had now reached the bottom of the Gray Wolf following Russ who flew towards an

opening followed by the Toscan Fighter. Both vessels were small enough to not require

guidance into the Gray Wolf. The tractor beam had taken a strong hold of Ryo-Ohki and

began to pull her in followed by the Yagami soon after. Once the Yagami was inside, the

massive bay door shut and the air pressure returned to the docking bay.

"We're here once again!" Ayeka said. She had not spoken for most of the short trip.

Like clockwork, a line of guards began forming, creating a perfect formation around the

two ships and leading to the entrance that would take them deeper into the Gray Wolf.

"You know, their attire resembles that of the American SWAT. Odd" Morien states.

"Like Russ told me, despite you saw in the movies, just about everyone here is friendly

and easy to get along with. Don't be intimidated by what you see" Tenchi informs.

"I highly doubt that you would be intimidated by these guards. If anything they should

be afraid of you" Washu says to Morien with her mind.

"I don't need an ego boost my dear"

"My strong hubby doesn't need to be humble all the time. If I'm not mistaken you are

certainly more confident in, shall we say, private affairs"

Morien sweatdrops but then has a smug look on his face.

"Do the others know you're like this?"

"Nope. And I never was until you showed up. I've been missing out on a hell of a lot.

So tonight right?"

"Of course…wait how do we know when it's tonight?"

Kanta looks at Morien as he gets ready to disembark from Ryo-Ohki.

"Do I want to know what you're thinking right now?"

"Should I give you a hint?"

"Since you put it that way, say no more"

Everyone is teleported outside the cabbit ship where Russ and Zorpheus are already

waiting along with Kiyone and Mihoshi from the Yagami.

"For those who are new, welcome to the Gray Wolf! Tom should be here in a bit" Russ

explains.

The newcomers look around inside the huge docking bay. The walls were white making

it very bright inside. In contrast, the color of the attire of the guards was almost opposite

which Morien and Kanta found interesting. Looking around more Morien finds himself

staring down at most of the guards in navy blue as he was at least a foot taller than

most of them. Nevertheless he nodded at any guard he made eye contact with and in

return they gave one back with a warm smile. Ryo-Ohki released all the luggage from her

cargo bay, making a loud thud on the floor, and then transformed back into her cabbit

form which raised eyebrows among the guards even though many of them had already

seen this once before. Taking her place on Sasami's head, Ryo-Ohki waited along with

everyone. A door opens and the sound of footsteps get closer to the group. The guards

suddenly stood attention as a brawny man wearing a white Imperial Guard suit walked in.

This was Captain Tom Franklin. Along with him was the notorious bounty hunter, Nagi, who

wore a slimmer version of the white Imperial Guard outfit. Both of their heads were exposed

as the only thing lacking was the helmet that typically went with the Imperial Guard suit.

Ryoko was standing closest to the approaching duo. A few more steps and Nagi made eye

contact with Ryoko. She stops and greets her once adversary.

"Ryoko, welcome"

"Hello Nagi. You look a bit different wearing light colors for once"

"As you may have guessed this was Tom's idea. I didn't want to at first, but now I kind

of like this. It's really comfortable too"

"So ya got a new challenge for me?"

Nagi grins sinisterly.

"Of course I do, Ryoko. We may not be enemies anymore but I have yet to beat you

in anything. I won't stop until I do"

As they conversed, Tom greeted everyone else.

"For the ones who've been here before, welcome back! And the ones who haven't,

this is the Gray Wolf everyone has probably told you about"

"Russ has been quite informative" Morien tells Tom.

"This ship is a real peace of work" Kanta states.

"Wait until you see further inside" Tom replies.

Tom seemed very eager to show the newcomers his state of the art space vessel. They

stilled looked around in amazement even though it was only the hangar bay.

"As far as I know there isn't a need for introductions so if you all just follow me we can

be on our way" Tom says.

A line formed, behind Tom as he began to lead the group, which had doubled since

last time, further into the ship from the hangar bay. Each person stood close to their

significant other while Sasami walked behind Russ and Ayeka with Ryo-Ohki still perched

on her head. Alex and Nobuyuki were in the back of the group followed by the greeting

party of guards who were also bringing their luggage. The next area they walked through

looked like a server room in an office building. The machines beeped harmoniously as

the group walked by. Morien gave his thoughts.

"I'm guessing you have these machines beeping like this so that people can contain their

sanity bit more easily when they work around here"

"You would be right" Tom chuckled. "I've taken every aspect into account in making

sure that people here live as comfortably as possible and that goes all the way down

to the sounds this ship makes. What you all see here is just one of the many communication

stations so we can make contact throughout the ship as well as beyond the ship"

The room was dark and the ambient blue lights that were emitted from the machines

were the only source of luminescence, making the area look like a rave room. Washu

decided to speak next.

"So have you worked out most of the bugs, Tom?"

"Oh yes. Granted there are still a small few, but they are almost insignificant. Still, we

don't want to take any chances so we are working as quickly as possible to be bug-free.

Also, if you are asking because you want to collect more information on this ship for your

research I can give you a bit more but I still cannot reveal our biggest secrets and I'm

not sure if I ever will"

Washu looks a bit disappointed but is still glad she could get more information.

"You know I could hack into this ship if I really wanted to get the information I need" Washu

spoke to Morien, telepathically.

"Washu, play nice" Morien thinks back. "I don't want to lose a potential ally over

something petty like that"

"That would not be petty" Russ interjected now speaking with them through his

mind "Like Morien said, please don't do anything like that. Tom upset is not a good thing"

"Okay, you two win…for now"

"Washu!" Morien and Russ exclaim in their minds.

"Fine fine fine!" she puts her hands up slightly.

Zorpheus snickers listening in.

"What's so funny?" Mihoshi asks almost starting to snicker as well.

"Oh, nothing babe. Just something Russ said to me a few days ago" he fabricated.

"I'm getting this feeling that you guys are talking about a subject that I may or may

not like" Tom said looking back at the group.

"Err…nope. Nothing at all" Russ tried to come up with an excuse.

Tom could tell Russ was making it up but he dropped it right away. In the back

Nobuyuki decided to start a conversation with Alex.

"You're Vladimir's friend, right?"

"Yes I am. And you are Tenchi's father?"

"Correct. Amazing place is this not?"

"I couldn't agree with you more. This looks nothing like I remember it in the movie.

It reminds me more of a luxury cruise than a warship"

"Well, like Tom said, the ones in the movies and novels were designed for the sole

purpose of battle while Tom had this one constructed keeping in mind that many

families would be living aboard so while this is still a fierce fighting machine you would

never be able to tell from the inside"

They had all walked for about 5 minutes. Up ahead was a large steel door that

opened at a 45 degree angle.

"You've been here once before haven't you, Nobuyuki?"

"Yes"

"So what's on the other side of that door?"

"I think you should find out for yourself. You're about to anyways"

Once they were right upon the gray door Tom turned around and spoke.

"Ok! Some of you already know what's on the other side of this door. For those

that do don't spoil it for those that don't" he snickers.

With smiles on their faces, the newcomers eagerly waited to see the next

part of the ship.

"Don't forget Fingerpaintings, we have our little match once Russ or Tom shows

us that holodeck he was talking about"

"Believe me Kanta, I haven't forgotten" Morien replies.

"Uh, Kanta have you seen the person Morien is now? Are you sure you

want to take him on?"

"It's a gaming simulator, not a real shootout, Junko. Being how that's the

case I'm pretty confident in my skills"

"As long as you don't have smoke grenades, I'm sure I can hold my own" Morien laughs.

Sasami overhears the conversation about games and joins Morien and Kanta.

"Speaking of games…" she starts.

Kanta and Morien both look down at Sasami.

"…they have a huge arcade here. Not sure if you guys are into arcades or not"

"I'll play. I remember seeing those in storage facilities back in the desert"

Morien didn't say anything but reminisced for a moment upon hearing Sasami

say arcade. It was in an arcade where he first discovered his power since the

attack on him. He had used a pinball machine as a weapon to defeat his attacker.

"Morien?"

He snapped out of his flashback and turned to Sasami.

"Oh, yeah you bet! I love games and that arcade sounds like a lot of fun.

If you need a partner to game with you can count on me!"

Sasami gave a huge smile.

"Great!"

The steel door hissed opened in front of them revealing a small dark hallway

with red lighting.

"Umm…is this the good part?" Alex asked Nobuyuki.

"Just wait. I'm sure it's at the end of this hallway although I don't remember

this part. I'd say about a 20 second walk"

Surely enough, a short walk later, a smaller door opens in front of them. A

voice was heard from the other side saying:

"Captain on the bridge!"

Following the statement was a uniform sound of people standing up.

"As you were" Tom said with a friendly wave.

Tom stood off to the side allowing everyone else to gather into what was the main

control room. It was enormous. A large window was off in the distance showing the

view of outer space. Several hundred people were either sitting or walking, working

on individual tasks. There was much chatter as well. This was where mission control

was but it looked more like the atrium to a 5 star hotel. The floor was an intricately

designed ornate carpet The walls were various colors in each location. Each job inside

the control room was color coordinated much like that of an aircraft carrier on Earth.

Lastly, computers were in just about every nook and cranny that one could fit in. There

was no wasted space. Computers for communication, radar, maps of the galaxy, and

even social networking sites. Tom had allowed for social networking and even simple

computer games provided that each person performed their job when they were

supposed to and they did. Once every person was inside they looked around stupefied.

Even the people who had been there before acted like this was their first time. Morien

looked at the people and the first thing he noticed was that not everyone looked

human. Nearly half of the individuals working were different alien species. Some looked

human but had cat or doglike faces. Some looked reptilian and a few resembled the

blue human-hybrid people known as the Na'vi.

"This is control room. The entire ship is monitored here with the exception of the sleeping

quarters for obvious reasons" Tom says getting a chuckle from everyone.

Russ looks down at where the captain sits.

"Last time I was here you only had one captain's chair"

"Well, of course I have two now. Where else would Nagi sit?" getting a smile from

Nagi. "Anyways, Russ, I hate to cut this tour short but I'm sure you'll do a fine job

introducing the new people to the rest of the ship. I have matters to tend to up here"

"No problem, Tom. Thanks for having us back!"

"Anytime! Thanks for coming everyone!"

"Before we leave, I have a question, Tom"

"Sure Vladimir. What is it?"

All eyes were now on Vladimir.

"We arrived through the bottom of the ship right?"

"You sure did"

"And this control room is at the very top of the ship isn't it?"

"Yup"

"So how on earth did we get up here so fast?"

Everyone else in the group became curious as well and they faced Tom again.

"Ah. Remember that red hallway?"

Vladimir nods.

"That was actually a teleportation room. But you never noticed did you? That wasn't even

there the last time you guys came here. I had it placed there hoping I could surprise

everyone and I must say I think I succeeded"

Everyone "oooo'd" or "ahhhh'd" upon hearing Tom's explanation.

"You guys have fun now"

Turning towards Nagi, he offers his arm.

"My lady?"

She gladly accepts it and they both take a lift down to the main floor of the control room.

Russ now turns towards everyone.

"Do you guys want me to show you to your rooms and then we can go from there?"

With no objections it was now Russ who lead the way to another lift. They continued to

take in the sites as they walked while down below, a pale skin colored woman looked

up at the group somewhat lustfully. Tom saw her gaze and without looking back he

already knew what she was looking at.

"Sakuya. Just like last time I see. I will say it again…perhaps not a good idea"

She comes out of her trance and faces Tom from her seat.

"I'm sorry sir but you keep on bringing attractive men to this ship. First Tenchi, Russ,

and Zorpheus. Now there's that darker skinned person. I'm just doing what comes

naturally to a woman. What can I say? We like beauty too"

Tom laughs upon hearing this then replies.

"I hate to disappoint you again but the darker one is married to Washu"

Sakuya looks back at the controls a bit upset then grunts.

"Can you please try to invite some single people next time, sir?"

"Sakuya, you live on a ship with plenty of people on board. You shouldn't have any

trouble finding someone who's single"

"It would seem that every person I like ends up being taken by someone else" she

replies with a low tone looking back at Tom and Nagi.

Nagi started to understand that Sakuya liked Tom at some point and in response she

gave her a cold look from her red eyes that read "He's mine and if you if try anything, God help you"

Sakuya said nothing more and continued to monitor her screen looking intimidated from

the look shot at her by the bounty hunter.

"Uh, Nagi, as captain I think I reserve the right to scare my crew" Tom said quietly.

"I will not have any interference between us" she replied looking at him.

Appearing from an unknown location, a white cabbit perches himself on Nagi's shoulder

and lets out a meow.

"You too? Tom, Ken-Ohki and I are going to grab food somewhere. I will see you in a bit"

Nagi walks out and soon a gray door closes, blocking her from view, once she passes

into another part of the ship from the control room.

"I am one lucky son-of-a-bitch" Tom said quietly to himself with a grin.

"Sir?" a voice caught his attention. Tom turns towards it.

"Marcus, what can I do for you?"

"The new propulsion test is ready, sir"

"Oh, excellent. Larry, keep an eye on things here. You do it well"

"Thanks sir! Will do!"

"Lead the way, Marcus"

Like the control room, the sleeping quarters of the ship resembled that of a resort

hotel. Entering a long and seemingly endless hallway, Russ lead the group for several

steps before stopping.

"I can imagine it shouldn't be hard to figure out who's going to be paired up for each

room but just to make sure, who's going with who and who wants the first room?" Russ

asked the group.

"Junko and I will take it" Kanta spoke.

"Alright. Here is the code to get into your room. Enjoy!" Russ responded.

Moving on the rest of group followed Russ leaving Kanta and Junko behind.

"Comrade, want to just share a room?" Vladimir asks Alex.

"You mean you're not rooming with Kiyone?"

"Will you stop that? We haven't even dated yet" he said quietly.

"Ok then"

"Russ, Alex and I will take the next room"

"No problem. Here is the code and enjoy!"

As Vladimir takes the code he looks at Kiyone who looked back at him, both with warm

smiles on their faces.

"We'll go ahead and take the third room, Russ" Washu spoke.

"Man, this is easy. You bet. Enjoy!" he responded then gave her a code.

Zorpheus and Mihoshi took the next room followed by Ryoko and Tenchi with the next

one. Nobuyuki decided to have his own room and Kiyone along with Sasami took another

room. Once everyone entered their rooms it was only Russ and Ayeka left.

"Now where would you like to stay, Ayeka?" Russ asked jokingly

"I'll take a room that comes with the most amazing man I have ever met and his name just

happens to be Russ. Would you happen to have a room like that?"

"It just so happens we have one room that fits that description, Princess"

Taking each other's hands, they walk further down the hall until they reach Russ's room.

It was more like a suite, however. Inside was a grand view of space outside a large window.

The room came with a king size bed along with green covers, a bathroom, a large television,

and a hot tub located right by the window. Inside the closets were their luggage.

"This room would be the envy of our group" Ayeka said.

"The others have suites too. Everything that I have in here, everyone else has too. It's just

that I customized my room while the other rooms are just what came with the ship when it

was built from the sheets to the bathroom amenities"

In another room, Morien was amazed yet again at the sight of his large room.

"The size of this room is bigger than my condo back in Germany. Tom wasn't kidding when

he said he spared no expense building this thing. People must be dying to live here"

Washu was going to reveal to Morien Tom's plan on an Executor Class Star Destroyer but

decided it was for Tom to reveal this.

When Zorpheus and Mihoshi entered their suite, the first thing Mihoshi spots is a bowl of

hard candy on a dresser by the bed.

"Oh boy, candy!"

She sprints towards the bowl and began to rapidly devour the sweets. Zorpheus sweat-dropped

and started to mumble to himself.

"Wow. When it comes to candy, she eats almost like a Saiyan does. I never thought I

would end up dating someone who could potentially eat as quickly as I do"

After a few moments he walks up and grabs a few pieces of candy from the bowl before

they disappeared.

In Kiyone and Sasami's room they both started to unpack. Since the trip was meant to

be short they didn't pack much making the unpacking rather quick. When finished Kiyone

fell onto her bed face up. She bounced a few times before coming to a stop.

"It feels weird not having to share a room with Mihoshi anymore"

"If you play your cards right you'll be sharing a room with someone else"

Kiyone sits up immediately looking appalled.

"Sasami! Did you really just say that?"

Sasami giggles in her typical cute manner.

"Well we've been living with Russ and Zorpheus for a while now and I've listened in on

many of their conversations. It's hard to avoid the things I shouldn't hear. Please don't

tell Ayeka, though"

"I won't but still…wow. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were growing up or something"

"Hardly. So are you two going to do anything while up here?"

Kiyone lies back down, this time with a soft smile on her face.

"I hope so. I was really never into dating until Mihoshi started dating Zorpheus. It was

at that point I realized that I was missing out. I guess we'll see where this goes"

In Tenchi and Ryoko's room:

"Other than rearranging the furniture a bit nothing in this room has really changed" Tenchi

said putting his suitcase next to a dresser by the bed. Ryoko had placed herself on the

bed lying in a seductive pose hoping Tenchi would get the message.

"Well, what should we do next Ryoko?"

She stared at him for a few moments with a smirk on her face.

"Or maybe, who should I do?"

"T-Tenchi?"

Ryoko's face went into complete surprise.

"It has been a while Ryoko. I could go for a roll in the hay right about now"

"Tenchi Masaki! In all my years I never thought you would ever utter any words along

the lines of what you just said. Let alone instigate it! I'm ready when you are!"

Ryoko teleported herself next to the mood lighting switch changing the color of the room

to red. Afterwards they both made their way to the bed, about to engage in their first

activity aboard Tom's ship.

"So tell me about this whole Mother Russia thing you brought up earlier" Vladimir inquired.

"I was just basing what I said off of our current economical problems, corrupt

government, and weak infrastructure" Alex replied.

They both sat on recliner chairs with a glass table between them. On top of the table

was a bottle of vodka with a small drinking glass on both sides.

"Our military no longer knows who they are really answering to but they don't seem to

care as long as they get their money. Hell, look at how we we're trained. Half of our

comrades died in training. Its made us desensitized to issues in our own country that

need tending to"

"I agree, Alex, but I still think you don't give our country enough credit. We're probably

the best trained soldiers on the planet and now that Putin is in power we may get the

infrastructure repair he was talking about"

"He has to actually do it first before I start having faith again. Also, going off topic, it's

going to be hard living here for a few days since smoking is not allowed on this ship"

"It could be your chance to quit. It'll save you a lot of years"

"I doubt that. Old habits don't die quickly. I'm going to crash for a bit. Have fun, whatever

it is you plan on doing"

Morien found a holographic display map in the room revealing where everything was in

the ship. Using a cursor, he scrolled down a list until he came across something that interested him.

"A swimming pool?" he said to himself. "Hey Washu, want to go for a swim?"

Looking around the room he didn't see her anywhere.

"Washu?"

With no answer he shrugged his shoulders and decided he would go alone.

* * *

The afternoon sun would set in about an hour and a half behind the mountains at the

Masaki home. The empty house added to the sereneness. There was a slight breeze

pressing against the trees in woods making the branches grind a bit. With his eyes closed

Vash the Stampede took in the beauty of the surrounding nature standing on the shore

of the pond, opposite side to that of where the Masaki home stood.

"We didn't come here to view scenery, Vash. Although I must say it is rather nice"

Standing next to Vash was Knives. Knives had a change in his attire as he was now wearing

a trench coat just like Vash's except it was black. With his eyes, he scanned the area but

couldn't pick up any energy from inside the home or near by other than Vash's.

"Dammit. They don't seem to be here"

"They probably went to the city. If we wait a bit I'm sure they'll be back"

"I didn't come here to wait either. Let's check out the home"

"Wait, you're not really about to break into their home are you?"

"Did I say I was kidding around, Vash? Let's go"

"Oh no. I'm not going in there" he said with hands waving.

"Vash! I don't have time for your protagonist morality! Don't make me…wait…"

Knives looks up in the air, sensing energy.

"They're up there!" he points.

Vash concentrates for a moment then also feels the same energy.

"Well shoot. I hope they plan on coming back"

"Brother, I think they are. Do you feel that now?"

The energy starts to get stronger.

"Oh yeah I do. In fact…it's approaching at a rather alarming speed"

Soon a gleam of light shines in the sky.

"I see them!" Knives shouts.

"It's coming right at us!"

Knives continues to look up for a moment, calculating where the incoming vessel would land.

"No it's not you bonehead. It will land slightly on the opposite side of that large house"

In minutes, a small vessel that looked like an advanced version of the lunar lander, landed

softly on the opposite side of the Masaki home just as Knives predicted.

"I find it odd they didn't take Ryo-Ohki"

"Ryo-what?" Knives asked.

"Their ship. That vessel we just saw looks awfully small for a family this size"

"Either way I'm going to greet these newcomers"

"It doesn't feel like them though, Knives"

"You're just having an off day. Let's go now."

Both men, now running, make their way towards the house curious as to who or what just

landed on Earth. When they reach the space vessel they find it open with no one around.

They search around the area for several minutes but find nothing.

"Great, they probably ran off into the woods" Knives said upset.

Vash concentrated for a moment and picked up energy from inside the home.

"Whoever they are, they're inside"

Before getting a chance to turn around, a small explosion goes off by their feet, knocking

them back towards the woods. They quickly get up with guns drawn.

"What the hell is going on?" Knives shouts.

When the smoke clears two men are standing. One had two guns in his hands. On his head

was a GXP hat and he wore just a blue t-shirt and beige cargo pants. The other carried a

tank on his back for what looked like a flamethrower. On his face was a welder's mask. His

overall's were red and he wore a black sleeveless shirt.

"You two are not the one's we are looking for. What do you want?" asked the man with

the GXP hat on.

"We should be asking you that!"

Knives and Vash both aimed their revolvers at the intruders. In return, they fixed their

weapons on Vash and Knives.

"So it's an old fashion shootout you want? No problem. When it comes to firefights Jack and White deliver!"

**End of Chapter 6**


	7. Trigger Happy

**Chapter 7**

A small cloud of black smoke rose from behind the Masaki home. 4 men faced each other,

each with a weapon in their hands. The brothers Vash and Knives faced Jack Vegas and

Jaysen White who stood just outside the house. It was quiet for a few moments with the

exception of the liquid moving inside of White's fuel rods connecting his gun to the tank

on his back.

"Don't kill anyone, Knives" Vash said quietly.

"I'll determine who lives and who dies today" Knives retorted angrily.

"Enough talk. Where are the ones responsible for the defeat of Emperor Azuza? I know

they live around here" Jack inquires.

The two brothers continued to stare silently. They quickly glanced at each other then

nodded, knowing exactly what the next move was. Vash and Knives squeeze the triggers

from their revolvers, making a loud crack that echoed for miles out. Jack suddenly felt a void

in his hands. Looking down with a horrified look on his face, he sees his weapons have

been shot out of his hands. Running back into the home he yells:

"White! Open fire!"

With a press of a button, White lets out a trail of liquid flame but Vash and Knives quickly

dodge the oncoming heat wave which causes the nearby trees to catch fire. Now retreating

after his teammate, White also takes refuge in the Masaki home finding a window and keeping

an eye open for Vash and Knives.

"I wasn't expecting this kind of resistance. It looks like we may have to step up our game" Jack

says while loading a laser rifle.

"Do you still see them?"

White scans the outside through his welder's mask. The forest was starting to burn a little

bit more but he could not find Vash or Knives.

"Negative. Either they're hiding or they ran for their lives"

"I doubt they ran"

Looking through an electronic scope, Jack scans for any life forms. Within seconds the scope

indicates a target just on the other side of the flames. It creates a silhouette form of Vash.

"Gotcha!"

Before he pulls the trigger his weapon is, again, shot out of his hands from shots being fired

on his far right. Continuous gunfire began to break through the walls of the house sending

wall fragments in all directions. Jack and White ducked down to the floor to avoid the bullet

borage. All over the walls, pictures were being shattered and any glassware around was broken.

Knives set up a sneak attack using Vash as a distraction. This was Vash's cue to try and execute

an offense of his own. Now running to his right he gets about a hundred feet then sprints towards

the house and finds a side door. Opening it quickly he is greeted with a spray of flame

denying him entry.

"Whoa!"

He falls back then gets up and runs as he felt the heat.

"Be careful, White! You'll set this whole place ablaze!" Jack shouted.

In the woods, a black streak rushed between the flames then stopped next to Vash.

"That welder is making this tough. Any ideas Knives?"

"No, but run!"

From another window, Jack spots the two and opens fire with laser pistol, causing Vash and

Knives to split again. Setting himself behind a tree stump Vash takes cover as red lasers singe

the ground near him. Not far away at another tree stump, Knives did the same.

"Vash, I'll distract him and you take the front door!"

"I'll try"

After reloading, Knives rose from his position and opened fire towards the home, causing Jack

to fall back. Vash made a run, this time towards the front of the home. Rather than using the

front entrance he climbs the wall and works his way into an open window that led into Mihoshi's

room which she forgot to close before they left. Listening to the gunfire outside Vash quietly

walks into the hallway and makes his way towards the stairs. Looking down he sees White who

has his back turned for a moment. He instinctively turns around and aims his weapon at Vash who

already has his gun trained on White. Both of them just stand there listening to the exchange of

gunfire between Knives and Jack. It then stops and Jack runs towards the bottom of the stairs

where White is standing. "One of them got in didn't they?

"Stay put, Jack"

"Take him out!"

"Do you want me to burn this place down?"

"Fine let me do it!"

"Jack, no!"

Knives looks in through the front door which had many holes in it and takes a shot at White.

Feeling a burning pain in his left leg, White is hit with a bullet right behind the kneecap

blowing it out completely.

"Gaaah!" He yells at the top of his lungs. Falling to the floor, he inadvertently presses the fire

button on his weapon, bathing the ceiling in fire.

"White!"

Before Jack could tend to his fallen teammate, he feels a shot enter the back of his shoulder

and collapses to the floor. He catches himself before falling completely flat. Letting go of his

weapon he walks feebly towards White but is stopped by Knives who presses his revolver,

still hot from the last shot, against the back of Jack's head.

"Knives, don't do it!" Vash yells from the top of the stairs avoiding the burning fragments which

were now falling from the ceiling.

"I really thought that fight would have lasted longer. That wasn't much of a challenge" Knives

said haughtily.

A white blur enters the home and swats away the weapon being held on Jack's head. Knives

now looks at the end of a blade held by the Shinto priest, Katsuhito. Knives freezes in place

and Vash looks curiously at the Shinto priest.

"That's enough, all of you. Carry these men outside. They need medical attention"

"Yeah, because I shot both of them"

"I don't care. You disabled them and now you are going to help them. Quickly! There isn't

much time" Katsuhito ordered.

"Take us to our ship…there are medical supplies in there" Jack said with a painful tone.

Vash joins the group at the bottom of the stairs and helps Jack to his feet. Against his will,

Knives dragged White by his arms and followed Vash and Katsuhito out of the burning Misaki

home. They walked several yards outside the home before reaching the space vessel that

brought Jack and White to earth.

About an acre of forest burned before the fire died out on its own. Now, next to Jack and White's

ship, Katsuhito first tends to White who was missing a kneecap and bleeding heavily. Jack was

sitting up on the ground wincing from the pain but he was going to be fine.

"You had to shoot the doctor" he said

"Well you had to shoot at us" Knives replied.

"Inside my ship there is an orange hexagonal device sitting on the cockpit controls. Can you get

that?" White asks Katsuhito who fulfills his request.

Taking the device, White presses a button and a light shines on the bloody void that was his

kneecap. In a few seconds a kneecap forms followed by skin covering it and the bleeding stops.

White stands up and walks normally. Vash, Knives, and Katsuhito are dumbfounded by White's

speedy recovery.

"What is that thing?" all three of them ask at the same time.

"It's a medical device that detects your DNA then detects what needs to be healed or fixed. It

then transmits the atoms and molecules that your blood, bone structure, muscle tissue, and

organs are made of and fixes you up in seconds. I created this actually"

White walks over to Jack and in seconds the bullet falls out of his back and is healed instantly.

"That was very impressive but I would really like to know who you are and why you are here" Katsuhito

states looking quite serious.

Jack and White now stand and face the men who put a damper on their objective. Jack lets out

a sigh then speaks.

"My name is Jack Vegas and this is Jaysen White but just call him White. We were basically

drifters until we heard about the people who defeated the greatest empire in this galaxy. We

needed to find them"

"How come?" asked Vash

"Because the planet in which we came from, well where White came from, is in peril. The people

have become demented as if they were controlled by a supernatural force. There was a strange

energy detected…some kind of weird presence that I felt right before this began so we fled in the

hopes that we could find someone to help restore order"

"So why did you shoot at us?" Knives asked almost yelling

"Because the last couple of planets we stopped at, we met resistance for unknown reasons so

when we saw that you two were carrying weapons we thought you were out to kill us. Sorry for

the misunderstanding. We're not space pirates or anything. And sorry for burning down the

property" Jack said looking at the Misaki home which was still on fire.

"Don't worry about that. The house has been destroyed so many times that one of the residents

there, Washu Hakubi…Eeham rather, set up bots to fix up the house once it takes damage" Katsuhito

explains.

"Wait…Washu as in the greatest scientific genius in the universe?" White asked

"You've heard of her?" Katsuhito was surprised.

"Of course we have! When she was expelled from the Science Academy of Jurai…twice…it was

galactic news. Being a scientist, I've always wanted to meet her to have her give me advice on future

projects that I have. Did you say her last name was Eeham? I thought it was Hakubi"

"It was. She's married now"

"I see. I find that odd considering that most people of science stay single and are complete

shut-ins that never leave home"

"Believe me, she was until her now husband literally crashed landed here years ago. Anyways,

the people you are looking for are not here. They will be back in a few days"

"What do we do until then, Jack?"

"We will head back to our ship above this planet. Again, sorry for the confusion and thanks for

not letting us bleed to death"

Knives just stared at them for a moment but then nodded in their direction.

"On a side note, you two are really good gunmen. The best we've encountered so far. Maybe you

can join us at some point" Jack said looking at Vash and Knives.

The brothers look at each other then Knives turns towards Jack.

"Perhaps. I'll think about it"

Jack and White enter their small vessel and in a few minutes it lifts off and roars back into the air

heading to outer space.

Katsuhito now looks at Vash and Knives.

"I take it you two are either friends of Tenchi or at least know him"

"I know him thanks to Morien" Vash replies "This is my brother Knives"

Knives just gives a light wave keeping a straight face.

"He's not much of a talker around people he doesn't know"

"Vash, leave me out of this"

"I understand" Katsuhito replied.

"Who are these two people that Jack and White were looking for?" Vash asked.

"It was a combined effort on many different fronts. I'm talking about the ones who defeated the

Emperor some time ago. But the two people they are looking for are Russ and Zorpheus. They

are probably the most powerful warriors in existence"

"If that's true then we're wasting our time here. Let's go Vash"

"Hold up, Knives. Most powerful? Like how?"

"They can destroy galaxies with one shot if they could"

Vash stood in shock not sure if what he just heard was true. Knives was indifferent.

"What can you do?" Katsuhito asked the two brothers.

"We're just gunman" Vash states

"We are more then just gunman, Vash. We are not human, we're plants as in power plants.

We just have a human form because that's how we were created. Our type is used for energy

all across the desert in this God forsaken planet far away from here. While we do shoot guns

we can destroy cities with our special weapon in one shot and if we tried we could put a hole

in the moon. But if this Russ and Zorpheus can destroy galaxies then we are useless"

"I wouldn't say that" Katsuhito replies "They wouldn't exercise that much energy because it

would risk the death of billions of innocent races. It sounds like your energy is more concentrated

and we could use you two to fight with us"

"I'm sorry, are we going to war?" asked Vash.

"When Jack explained to us about that dementia plaguing his planet I had an idea of who

might have been behind it. The only name I know is Lady Tokimi. If my predictions are correct

she will be the ultimate trial for all of us. It's just a matter of when she will attack"

"So what can we do? Again, it doesn't sound like Vash and I can do anything"

"You save as many people as you can"

"Why would I do that? Perhaps the whole reason Tokimi is reeking havoc on a galactic scale is

because the spiders can no longer be trusted. They themselves are a plague that leech off of the

planets resources until they run dry. They cause war and cannot do something as simple as keep

peace"

"Well then are you perfect, Knives?" Katsuhito asks, understanding what he meant by spiders.

Knives stayed silent thinking about that question.

"You must understand most of the human race wants to do good but the few that do harm make it

seem like there are more of them than there really are. That is why no one does anything to

prevent evil because they are terrified"

"The best solution to a problem is to get rid of the problem"

"That will only create a new problem. It's true that people will have to die and I hate to say that

but there is no other way around. But when people become less afraid to stand up for the right

reasons and show everyone that then we can fight together for the goodness of humanity then

peace can be achieved. That being said, will you fight with us when the time comes?"

"I will" Vash responds then looks at his brother.

"If it will keep me alive longer then I will fight with you as well, not for humankind though"

Katsuhito continued to talk to them for a while as the sun began to set behind the mountains.

* * *

Feeling the rush of water rush up above his head, Morien sank deeper into the pool after jumping

from a diving board. A few seconds later he resurfaced. The pool was Olympic sized and the majority

of it was 15 feet deep. There was a part sectioned off for children to play in. He treaded water for

several minutes listening to the sounds around him. He heard the humming of the filtering system

and the laugher of children coming from the shallow end. There were a few families around but with

that exception the pool was, for the most part, empty. Back in their room, the door opened and

Washu walks in. Looking around she doesn't see Morien anywhere. Then she sees the holographic

map still up. When she saw that the pool was highlighted she thought to herself "Great, I better

head there and save him from the parade of women that are probably after him"

As Morien was still treading water, a woman sat at the waters edge keeping her eye on him. Eventually

he moved to a ladder and climbed out of the water. She stood up to make her move. As he walked

he was trying to decide whether to use the diving board again or just lay on a lawn chair and relax

for a bit. The woman walks right in front of him and he stops.

"Nice tattoo collection"

"Thank you"

"Do you work at the parlor?"

"There's a tattoo parlor on this ship?"

"Yeah. You must be new here"

"I'm from Earth. Came up here with several people"

She pretends to adjust her bikini top, hoping he would notice.

"I'm Elise"

"Morien"

He began to get an idea of what she was doing.

"So, want to get some ice cream at the stand over there?"

"Umm, no thanks. I'm not much of an ice cream person"

"You liar. I saw you eat a whole tub back at your home" a voice said from behind.

Washu stood behind Morien in a solid green bikini. She looked far better than any of the other women

at the pool. A few of the men standing around made a double take, resulting in a slap on the back of

the head from their wives or girlfriends.

"Hey you. I was wondering where you went. This is my wife, Washu" he said looking at Elise.

"Oh…wife. That's cool. Well it was nice meeting you, Morien"

Without saying goodbye she walks away looking rather disappointed.

"I think I got here just in time" she says

"I agree. So want to go for a swim?"

"Well actually I just came to relax. I'm not one for swimming pools"

"Oh nonsense"

Morien grabs Washu by the hips and lifts her off the ground then carries her over his shoulder.

"Morien, put me down!"

"Water is good for you"

"I really don't want to get wet, Morien now put me down please!"

"I'm sorry, what?" he said pretending not to hear her.

"Don't you dare!"

He picked up his paced all the way to the edge of the water.

"Morien, NO!"

Taking Washu with him, they both land in the deep end sinking down for a few feet. Washu is the

first to resurface. She looked angry as she waited for Morien to come up for air. When he did he

was laughing hard.

"That wasn't funny, you big jerk!"

"Then why am I laughing? C'mon dear! It's just water. If it makes you feel better you look great

all wet like that" he laughs again.

She swims over to him and presses down on his shoulders pushing him under the water.

When he comes back up he splashes her with water.

"Oh it's like that huh?" Washu was about to press a button on the device on her wrist until she

noticed that it was gone.

"Great. I lost my device. Probably underwater"

"Here, I'll look for it"

"Don't bother. I can make a new one. I was just going to shoot you with a large water cannon"

"Knowing you it was going to wash away everyone here wasn't it?"

"You know me well, dear"

Spotting a stray circular pool float, Washu swims towards it and places herself on top of it.

"You're not going to get out?"

"Since I'm already in here I might as well stay. And if it means I can see you without your shirt

on so much the better"

Morien swims over and puts his hand on the edge of the float, allowing himself to be carried only

by its buoyancy. Washu then puts her hand on his.

"How did you know I was here, anyways?"

"You left the map on back in our room. I saw the swimming pool highlighted so I figured that's

where you went"

"I didn't even hear or see you leave the room for that brief moment. Where did you go?"

"To examine the ship a bit more. When I saw the place I wanted to go was rather far I just gave

up and came back but you were gone"

"You gave up on something that was research related? I'm impressed!"

"No dear. Think of it more as a pending experiment. I'm not going to stop until I know everything

about this ship"

"And why is that, Washu?"

She leans back and looks up at the ceiling lights.

"Because for the first time ever, someone has technology that has surpassed anything that I have

created. I mean I could reproduce it but I need to know how it's made first"

The waves around them became larger as people began jumping off the diving board, doing

mostly cannonballs.

"Fingerpaintings!" a voice yelled from the pool's edge.

"That can only be one person" Morien says looking up at Washu who chuckles in response.

Standing on the pool's edge was Kanta with his arms crossed and wearing his usual attire of a

white tank top and green military pants.

"I'm still waiting for that challenge. What do you say? Once you and your wife are done here

I'd say we hit up that holodeck"

"Are you in a rush to lose?" Morien said chuckling. "I'm just playing, dude!"

"Whatever. You best bring the finest game you've got, Fingerpaintings"

"And that goes for you as well Kanta" Junko said walking up behind him.

Kanta turns around to talk to Junko.

"Washu, I see an opportunity"

"For what, dear?"

"Watch me"

Morien let go of the pool float and sank underneath the water. He swam to where Kanta was

standing right on the edge.

"…and that is why they called me demon of the desert. Or you could call it a fire that cannot

be put out" Kanta says to Junko.

He suddenly felt strong pull by the back of his pants and in a second he was in the pool making

a splash. Washu gasps, covering her mouth with both hands as she couldn't believe that Morien

just pulled Kanta into the pool. She laughs afterwards.

"I think the fire just got put out" Junko says then laughs as well.

Naturally, Kanta was not in the least bit thrilled but to Morien's surprise he suppressed his anger

rather well. He spits out some water then speaks.

"Ok, Fingerpaintings, you got me. I will get you back somehow though"

"As long as you keep Washu out of this, do whatever" he said with a smile. "Anyways, I'll be

done here in a few minutes. Afterwards I'll make my way over to the holodeck"

"I'll be waiting"

Kanta climbs out of the pool, soaking wet and takes a towel off one of the lawn chairs that

belonged to someone else.

"Are you going to stay here then, Junko?" Kanta asks

"Yeah. Gotta stay in shape. I'll probably head to this holodeck too once I'm done"

Junko walks to another end of the pool. She wore a white bikini that could barely contain her bust.

Several of the men there got nosebleeds just looking at her. She saw this and just rolled her eyes.

After drying off, Kanta looks up on a map how to get to the holodeck. Once he figures it out, he

walked for several minutes. He gets to the door that leads into it and opens it to find there are a

few other people there. It looked like a black void on the inside so he couldn't tell how big or how

small it was. One of the kids standing there notices him.

"Hey there. We'll be playing a while."

"Playing what?" Kanta asks.

"Unreal Tournament"

"Oh? That's what I came to play"

"Really? Want to join us then?"

"Umm…I was going to wait for a few others but I supposed I could get a head start on them"

"Cool. Welcome then"

Kanta walks over to where everyone else was standing. They were mostly kids with a few boys

and girls in their late teens.

"You guys look a bit young to be playing a game like this"

"We play all the time actually. We're a guild of players that formed sometime ago. It's just for fun

though. I'm Leeland by the way" says a spiky haired young boy. His shirt was red and he wore khaki

shorts on his legs. Around his head was a pair of aviator goggles similar to what Morien wore before

going into a firefight.

"Kanta. So how does this game work in here?"

"Oh boy, you're going to love this. This place makes everything look real. It will set up a realistic

environment and you get weapons to shoot other players with just like in reality. Except it's all a game

so you won't feel pain or anything. I'm sure I'm missing a few things but you'll catch on quickly"

"Sounds kick ass. I'm ready when you guys are"

"Great. Ok guys, do we want to start with Capture the Flag or just a normal Deathmatch?"

Everyone opted for Deathmatch to start with. The room then came to life as it was brought to the

Unreal Tournament start screen.

"Since you're new, you need to make a gamer tag"

"Hmm…just put in Desert Punk"

After a few seconds, Kanta was put into the machine.

"Computer. For a map I want Stalwart XL. Regular weapon layout. For mutators, use Vengeance

and Strength. No bots for this match. Time is ten minutes"

Leeland now looked at his group and Kanta.

"We're all set. You guys ready?"

With a nod from everyone, Leeland started the game. A few seconds later the map loaded up and a

timer counted from 5 to 1 followed by GO. Kanta stood in place holding an Enforcer handgun. He

spawned next to the lift and the garage. Within seconds he is hit with a shock rifle by one of the other

players. He ran towards the garage and it opened slowly.

"C'mon, c'mon!" he yelled as it continued to open.

He returned fire, hitting the player shooting at him but is then killed by Leeland's rocket launcher.

"FIRST BLOOD!" the announcer said

Kanta spawned next to the flak cannon which he picked up quickly and ran towards the first person

he saw. A young blonde girl holding a bio-rifle was shooting at another target. From behind, Kanta

pulled the trigger a few times splattering his target all over the walls. He then spots a shootout and

runs towards it but is halted from another shock rifle blast to the back. Turning around he sees the

same person who tried to kill him when the game began. Using the secondary function, a spherical

object fires from the flak cannon exploding right on the target blowing him to bits.

"This is the closest thing to a shotgun so far" Kanta said to himself.

In the center of the map was a series of ceiling rafters and on top of one of them was a damage

amplifier shaped like a golden letter "u". Finding gravity boots, Leeland fought his way to the center

and grabbed the damage amplifier, turning his shock rifle a bright purple color which illuminated the

walls around him. A series of "oh crap" could be heard from most of the players as they ran from

the center while still shooting each other. One by one Leeland dominated each player, killing him

or her with one shot.

Double Kill!

Turning left he spots another player and shoots.

Multi-kill!

He was now near where Kanta had started and shot another player in the face.

ULTRA-KILL!

In order to continue his spree he would have to go thru Kanta who was now next in line.

However, Kanta found the shield belt which was in a hidden room and began to open fire upon

Leeland with the flak cannon which he had been using since he first picked it up. Leeland shot

once and it killed the shield entirely. He shot again but it missed. Kanta dodges to his right and

opens fire with the secondary function which appeared to be right on target but before it hit, a

small nuclear blast went off killing both of them at the same time as well as the person who

fired it; a redeemer missile.

"Megan! You're going to pay for making me lose my streak!" Leeland shouted.

"Bring it!" she replied

At the moment, Leeland sat in first place but Kanta was not far behind. He was very surprised

that a small kid had this much shooting experience. A few minutes went by and this time Kanta

managed to find his way into the garage which led to a hallway that took him to the redeemer.

30 Seconds Remaining!

The announcement was made that only 30 more seconds were left before a winner was declared.

Quickly grabbing the redeemer he gets back to the garage door and waited for it to open enough

for him to walk under. Another player was waiting for him and killed him with a flak cannon.

"Damn!" he shouted

A bit of luck came to him when he spawned right behind the person who killed him. He was about

to fire the redeemer when Kanta killed him point blank with a flak cannon. Picking up the dropped

Redeemer, he runs until he finds a decent sized firefight that had at least 5 players in it.

Ten seconds remain!

10

He takes aim.

9

From behind, Leeland sees Kanta is about to fire the Redeemer

8

"Oh crap!" Leeland shouts

7

Leeland opens fire but it's too late

6

The missile launches outside the barrel and heads straight for the firefight

5

Kanta turns around and engages Leeland with the Flak Cannon.

4

Megan sees the incoming rocket and knows there is nothing she can do at this point

3

"MONSTER KILL!" the announcer yells

2

Kanta is now tied for first with Leeland

1

At the last second he finally gets a kill on Leeland with a spray of red hot flak.

Desert Punk is declared the winner.

The level disappears and goes back the black void where everyone meets up.

"Goodness, kid! You're a damn good shot in this game!" Kanta says

"Same to you. The flak cannon suits you very well. Nice job"

The door to the holodeck opens. Morien, Washu, and Junko now join the group.

"You finally made it. This game is pretty sweet. Get ready to get trounced, Fingerpaintings!"

"You kids play this game?" Morien asked the group.

"Not only do they play but their quite good at it" Kanta explains. "I'd say we do some team

games next"

"Everyone else fine with that?" Leeland asks his group who approve right away.

"Ok. There are 12 of us so we can do 6 on 6, 4 teams of 3, or 3 teams of 4" Leeland said.

"For the sake of the newcomers we should do 6 on 6 so they can get a better feel" Megan

suggests.

"I'm fine with that" Morien says. "Washu, are you really going to play?"

"I don't see why not. I don't do this often so I might as well have fun now"

"I'm going to set up the parameters now. Computer, load up level "Deck 16." Team Deathmatch.

Weapons: Normal Layout. Teams: 2. Blue team and Green team. Mutators: Vengeance and

Redemption. Score will be to 40 points. Time unlimited. Please hold, computer"

Leeland turns towards everyone.

"Who's playing with who?"

"I don't think Kanta is going to be on my team so how about Washu and myself with 4 others"

"I'll join your team" Megan says.

"So that leaves me, Kanta, Junko, and the rest of you guys. Sweet deal!" Leeland shouts. He enters

the data into the computer.

"Oh yeah, the new people need gamer tags. What names do you guys want?"

Morien, Washu, and Junko thought for a moment.

"Vixen" Junko says

"HappyCrab" Washu says chuckling

"Knight of the Long Knives" Morien says

After entering the data Leeland presses the start button.

"Here we go, guys. Good luck to both teams!"

A few seconds later Deck 16 loads up. Morien's team, the green team, spawns on the highest part

of the level by the bio-rifle while blue team spawns at the lowest part by the slime pit.

3..2..1..GO!

Both teams race to find weapons other than an enforcer. Washu follows Morien as he makes a

jump for the sniper rifle.

"Ok, dear. I shoot and you cover me" Morien says to Washu.

"I'll try" Washu replies.

As they wait for targets to appear the first kill is made.

FIRST BLOOD! DESERT PUNK DREW FIRST BLOOD

"He already has experience" Morien told himself.

It wasn't long before the blue team made their way upwards providing an opportunity for

Morien and Washu to gain points.

HEAD SHOT

DOUBLE KILL

Morien made two shots, two kills with his sniper rifle. Washu held back the secondary function

to the bio-rifle then fired it at random. To her surprise, it landed on the head of someone on the

blue team who was on the bottom floor running by. Her first kill. Leeland grabbed the anti-gravity

boots then worked his way up towards Morien and Washu. With shock rifle in hand Leeland fires

at both of them who return fire with enforcers. Two of Leeland's shots hit Morien, bringing his

health down low.

"Washu, I'm going to find health"

He leaps from the top floor and tries to land on the middle floor but misses and heads straight to

the bottom floor. As he lands, his body is blown to bloody bits and parts as he kills himself. He also

loses a point. Kanta finds a flak cannon then comes face to face with Megan who fires at him with

the ripper. In just two seconds Megan scores a kill.

HEAD SHOT

Kanta's head flies right off and bounces everywhere, leaving blood marks on the wall and floor. Megan

then hears the sound of a rocket launcher but before she moves she is smeared on the floor by Junko.

Morien spawns by the rocket launcher on the bottom floor. Rather than taking it, he became interested

in the teleporter next to the rocket launcher. He walks in and sees the redeemer but doesn't know

what it does. Curiosity got the best of him and he takes it. Looking out the view port he sees half of

the blue team sitting still as they tried to shoot Washu who was holding her own quite well at the

sniper spawn. Taking aim he fires his redeemer. A humming sound filled the air as the slow moving

missile traveled towards its target.

"Careful, blue team! I heard a redeemer!" Leeland warned.

By the time they received the warning, the missile was within inches of the 3 unfortunate blue

team members.

Multi-kill!

"Thanks babe!" Washu says

"No problem!"

Now jumping down from the redeemer spawn he sees a ramp that goes over a small slime pit. Running

up the ramp he finds another sniper rifle and takes it. He looks down the hall where the flak cannon

spawn was at and sees Kanta making a mad dash. Morien opens fire, hitting Kanta in the back but

not killing him. Kanta makes it to his flak cannon but cannot shoot Morien from where he was standing.

"Anyone! Knight of the Long Knives has me pinned down at second sniper spawn" Kanta said

through team chat.

As Morien kept the scope trained on where Kanta was at, a rocket zooms past him. Turning towards

the shooter, which was Junko, he takes a 2 second aim and puts a bullet between her eyes.

HEAD SHOT!

Turning back towards Kanta all he sees now is a flak cannon very close through his scope. Taking

his eye out of the scope, he sees that Kanta had somehow managed to run very quickly to Morien

and train his flak cannon on him at point blank. Pulling the trigger, Morien is reduced to several

chunks of bloody flesh bouncing off of the walls and floor. Once Morien respawns, he takes a look

at the score. To his surprise, Washu was in the lead on the green team. She didn't even have a

single death. Leeland was in the lead for the blue team. The score kept alternating back and

forward for the overall lead. Washu leaped from the sniper spawn down onto some black crates

and took the damage amplifier. She then finds a shock rifle and unleashes devastation on

the blue team. First Kanta and then Leeland.

Double Kill!

Junko

Multi-Kill/Rampage!

Another blue player

ULTRA-KILL!

She spots Kanta who spawned on the top floor by the bio-rifle and kills him.

MONSTER-KILL!

"Alright guys! HappyCrab is kicking our butts! She hasn't even been killed yet so let's

change that!" Leeland announces once he spawns.

"Washu, where the hell did you learn to shoot like this?" Morien asked while shooting

another player on the blue team.

"I've had my fair share of fights in the past. I don't really talk about them though. I could

really use your help right now! Kanta and Leeland are teaming up against me!"

"Hold tight! On my way! Megan, if you're not busy I could use your help in assisting Washu!"

"Roger that!"

Now equipped with the rocket launcher, Morien and Megan both run to the main floor of

Deck 16. From the side, she fires several pot-shots at both Leeland and Kanta trying to

distract them. From the back, Morien fires several rockets getting Kanta's attention. Kanta

jumps from the top floor firing his flak cannon at Morien who is knocked off the main floor but

lands on a catwalk underneath which is suspended over the slime pit. In the center of the

narrow catwalk was the shield belt surrounded by 4 health vials that looked like blue fluid

inside a test tube. Now covered in a golden light which was the shield, he jumps down with

Kanta in hot pursuit.

"Dammit, he has that shield belt" Kanta tells himself.

Regardless, he chased Morien into the teleport next to the rocket launcher spawn and sees

him grab the redeemer then quickly jumps down before he gets a shot off with his flak cannon.

Morien then runs back to the main floor. Leeland sees that Morien has the shield belt so he

equips his translocator and fires it under Morien's feet. He teleports and kills Morien instantly,

arming himself with the redeemer which he turns towards Washu. When he looks for her she

is no longer on the sniper spawn. Morien runs to the two lifts at the bottom floor searching

for the armor. When he finds the spot, he sees that Washu was just a few seconds quicker.

"In all fairness you are doing better than I am" he says

"He has the redeemer. We need a plan"

ULTRA-KILL!

"And it sounds like he just used it" Morien said.

The score was now 32-30 with blue team in the lead.

"I have the relic of vengeance. From what I've seen, if you die a giant skull appears then

explodes, taking any opponents nearby with it" Morien tells Washu.

"A suicide bomb might not be a bad idea. Let's see where everyone is at"

Morien and Washu take the lift to the main floor where Kanta and Junko are waiting as well

as another player from blue team.

"Washu! Jump back down!"

As Washu jumps back down to the bottom floor, Morien is shot to death and right on cue,

a giant skull appears.

"What's with the skul…" Junko tries to ask but is blown to bits along with Kanta and the

other blue team member bringing the score to 33-32 Green team.

Leeland makes another kill with the shock rifle, evening the score. On the top floor, Megan

equips the bio-rifle and holds back the secondary, filling up the tank with a large amount of

radioactive sludge. She finds 3 blue teammates engaged in a firefight against 2 green

teammates. Running around behind she unloads the weapon, firing a large bright green ball

of slime towards the unfortunate blue team members, killing all of them at once. One of them,

however, had the relic of vengeance which killed her along with the other two green teammates

bringing the score to 36-36.

"We have 4 points left! Stay alive HappyCrab and Knight! Same goes for the rest of you!" Megan

yelled.

"No guarantees!" Morien yelled on the trail of two blue team members.

"Desert Punk, Vixen! Try to get to the top floor. We can defend it and pick them off for a quick win"

"On my way" Junko says.

Kanta doesn't respond but tries to make his way upward but is stopped by a green team member

who is firing ripper blades at him near the second flak cannon spawn over a small slime pit. Jumping

onto the flak cannon he turns around and shoots the secondary shot right behind the green team

player and he is shot right into the slime pit. In a few seconds he is dead which brings their score

down to 35.

Morien picks off the two blue team members he was following with the enforcer bring their score

up to 37. Blue was still at 36 and Leeland was defending the top floor with Junko and most of

the other blue team members. Standing at the sniper spawn he waited for anyone on green

to show up.

"Morien, they are all on the top floor really close to each other and I'm next to the redeemer!"

"You know what to do Washu! Green team! Do not advance into the main part of Deck 16. Let

HappyCrab finish the job!"

Washu grabs the redeemer and uses the secondary shot, controlling the missile manually. As it

enters the main part of Deck 16, everyone tries to shoot it down. It finds a place right on top of

4 players. Leeland is helpless as he watches the missile detonate killing 3 more of his teammates

before green team is declared the winner. The game fades out and everyone is returned to the

black void of the holodeck again.

"That was a close game! You kids sure know how to use your guns" Morien said to the other team.

Looking at the score on the green team it read:

HappyCrab – 11

Knight of the Long Knives – 10

Megan – 8

Thor – 6

Meatloaf – 3

Viceroy – 2

On blue:

Leeland – 14

Desert Punk – 12

Vixen – 12

The Rash – 2

Goofy - -1

Some Dude - -3

"How did you two end up with a negative score?" Leeland asked two of his teammates.

"Let's just say I'm not very good with a redeemer. It seems to love to hit the wall right

next to me"

"Oh. Well anyways, that was awesome guys!" Leeland says to everyone.

"What about our challenge, Kanta?" Morien said

"I'm not really feeling it right now"

Washu raised an eyebrow, anticipating banter from Morien as a reply.

"Truth be told, neither am I"

She raises both eyes, impressed.

"Are we all done for today then?" Leeland asks everyone.

Everyone else nods in response then they say their goodbyes to Leeland.

"I would love to play again at some point. I'm kind of hungry right now. What about you,

Washu?"

"Not really dear, but I will gladly go with you"

"Kanta, Junko? What about you?"

"Sure" they both reply.

"Can I tag along too?" Leeland asks

"You bet, kiddo" Morien says with a warm smile.

Morien and Kanta look around one more time at the void holodeck. They both found it to

be an amazing piece of engineering and technology.

"I would love to have one of these in my house" Morien said with Kanta nodding in

agreement as they walked towards the exit with Washu, Junko, and Leeland following

close behind.

Now stepping into a well lit hallway they follow a map that would take them to a cafeteria.

"So Leeland, tell me about yourself" Morien asks.

"Umm. Well for starters, I'm 14. I'm an only child. I was born on planet Sino which is

constantly being raided by space pirates. That's why my parents left with me. By sheer

luck they happened to meet Tom when he was still building the Gray Wolf. He gladly

allowed us to live onboard. Not long afterwards, slots for rooms on the Gray Wolf were

taken completely which is why Tom is creating a second ship that is to be 12 times

bigger than this one he says"

"Wait what!" Morien, Kanta, and Junko ask loudly getting heads to turn from inside the hallway.

Leeland covers his mouth realizing he uttered something secret.

"Oh crap! I wasn't supposed to spill that. Tom's gonna kill me!"

"We'll just pretend we didn't hear that. But 12 times? Isn't this massive hunk of metal

big enough? Why not just make two the same size?" Morien continued.

"You have no idea how many people want to live in space. It's overwhelming. I won't

say anything else though" Leeland responds.

"So you met Tom by accident?" Washu now asked.

"Sort of. My parents told him the story involving our planet. At the time we may have been

considered refugees. Nevertheless we now have permanent residence here. I love it here"

"You sure don't talk like someone who's 14. You seem rather mature for your age" Kanta says.

"You think so? Thanks!" Leeland said feeling good about the compliment.

"Aww, you gave a compliment" Junko says giving Kanta a side-hug causing Morien

and Washu to snicker.

"What about you guys then? How did you get here?"

Everyone else looked at each other as they continued to walk.

"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Kanta asked.

"I guess long would be fine" Leeland responds

"Junko and I are from a desert that is actually about 3000 years ahead of this time.

Thanks to an arbitrary portal I found my way into this world and began to live on Earth.

That's when I met Morien at his home in Germany. After being hired by his father we took

on a special assignment to take down a terrorist group known as INSF. It took a while but

eventually we took most of them out and then the world did the rest. Within that time, Morien

got superpowers, for lack of a better term. We met Washu and the rest of her family in Japan.

Then just several days ago we went to a party at their house and we met Russ, Zorpheus,

the Jurian Royal Family, and most of Tom's crew. Now we're here"

"There's a few parts in the story you're leaving out" Morien says.

"It's okay. That's 95 percent of it right there" Kanta replied.

"True"

"You met the Jurian Royal family? I remember when they attacked our ship. What are they like?"

"It was just the Emperor who set out to do battle against the rest of us" Washu started "But

since then he has learned the error of his ways and is, for the most part, friendly but he still

doesn't talk much. At least he doesn't seem as judgmental. He was even kind to Morien when

everyone found out we were married"

"I see. Do you all have jobs then?"

"I'm a professor in Germany"

"I'm just a scientist"

"We're mercenaries" Junko responds while wrapping her arm around Kanta's neck.

"A teacher, a scientist, and two mercenaries. What an odd bunch you are. No offense"

"If you think that's odd the rest of our group includes 2 princesses, a demon/space pirate,

two police officers, an architect, two Saiyans, and then there is Tenchi who is probably the

only 'normal' one from the group" Washu explains.

Leeland raised both of his eyebrows taking in what Washu just told him. After walking for

several minutes the smell of food started to fill the area. Even Washu, who wasn't hungry

in the beginning, started to change her mind about getting a bite to eat. Before entering the

cafeteria, the view of hundreds of different colored tables could be seen lined in a perfect

formation as they went in rows. The cafeteria itself was a round room so that people could

see what was available much easier. The people eating comprised mostly of friends and

families enjoying each other's company. There were several couples there as well.

"If you guys want, I'll find us a place to sit while you go grab something" Morien suggested.

"It's okay. I'll do it and you can go get food" Washu replied.

"Washu, please. I can go several more minutes without eating. You work harder than most

people around here so go get food"

"We took vows to take care of each other. You go first"

"Guys! I'll do it! Sheesh!"

"Kanta? Really?" Morien was surprised.

"If it means you'll stop being…that…whatever that was…then yes"

"Wow…thanks!"

Morien and Washu both head to the many food stands to figure out what to eat. Meanwhile

Junko and Leeland stayed with Kanta.

"You couldn't say it, could you?" Junko said.

"Say what?" Kanta asked.

"Cute" she replied.

"W-what? That's not what I wanted to say, Junko…really"

"You're softening up, Kanta."

"No I'm not!"

"I didn't say this was bad. Personally I like that. Tough men that can show a soft side"

She kissed him lightly on the check making him turn a bit red.

"Junko…not in public" he said quietly.

"Yuck!" Leeland said

"Kid, you're a bit young to understand these type of situations" Kanta told him

"I can understand enough"

"How old did you say you were again?" Kanta asked

"14"

"Sasami looks like she is his age, doesn't she?" Kanta quietly asks Junko.

"Yeah why?"

"Leeland, in our group we have someone else who looks like she is your age. And from what

I hear she loves games. I'll get you two to meet up. I bet she would be great at Unreal Tournament"

"Oh really? I suppose I could use another player for our guild. Cool and thanks"

Each food vendor had a line that wasn't terribly long. Morien and Washu stood in place for a

moment, turning their heads and looking at the various types of food. Since aliens lived on the

ship, there was food from many different planets. Washu had seen much of it before so she

was familiar with it but still had a hard time choosing. Morien's case was different. The experience

was similar to learning how to ride a bike for the first time.

"Washu, what's good? I don't recognize most of this food"

"Most of it is good actually. And it's healthy. You know me when it comes to health. What are

you in the mood for?"

"I guess a salad with some type of protein"

"Come with me"

She takes him to a vendor. The menu displayed many food items. When it was their turn to

order, the man behind the counter smiled and waited to hear their request.

"That grassy looking item looks like a salad. I guess I'll try that with…does that say soft-shelled

nautilus?" he asked looking at the menu.

The man turns around for a moment then confirms.

"Yes it does. A lot of people like it"

"Okay. I'll take that. Your turn, dear"

"Surprise me with some sort of salad and two drinking cups please"

"Got it. Would you two like anything else?"

"I don't believe so. So how much?" Morien asks

"Oh there is no money on this ship. No payment required"

Morien stops and stares blankly at the man behind the counter.

"Ha! I like your humor. But seriously, how much do I owe ya?"

Washu snickered to herself knowing that the man was telling the truth.

"Sir, I was being serious when I said there is no money on this ship. We have no need for it.

Everyone works when they want to and in return they get an amazing place to stay"

Morien couldn't believe it.

"I'm going to have to talk to Tom about this"

"You should. There are many surprises on the Gray Wolf. Anyways, your food will be up in a

moment. Thank a lot!" he said with a smile

A young woman from the back brings out the order on a white tray and Morien takes a hold.

"Thanks" he said

She blushes when she takes a look at his muscular stature but it fades when she sees Washu

walk with him. Morien sees Kanta, Junko, and Leeland at a table and sets the tray down

next to them.

"Alright guys. Go grab some grub!"

"That food looks interesting" Junko says eyeing it with an odd expression on her face.

"There are many races from different planets on this ship so their cuisine came with them. I

never thought I would try food from another planet"

"That blue stand over there has cuisine native to my planet. You guys should go try it. You

won't be disappointed" Leeland tells Kanta and Junko.

"Ok then" Kanta says then both Junko and Kanta head over to where Leeland pointed out.

"And here we go" Morien said looking at his plate.

He takes a bite of the grassy looking dish and chews for a few seconds then swallows.

"Wow. It tastes like seaweed salad back on Earth. This is great! Let me take a small bite of

the soft-shelled nautilus"

Using chopsticks, he grabs a small part of the crustacean and eats it.

"Delicious"

He then looks over at Washu's salad. Other than the usual lettuce, spinach and tomatoes, it

was decorated with cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, and topped with a

raspberry vinegar dressing.

"Just a salad, Washu?"

"Yeah. I really should start eating more vegetables on a daily basis"

"Why? You're in tip top shape" he replied as he eyed his wife from top to bottom.

"If we are going to have a child I want to make sure the baby gets as many nutrients

as possible"

"Oh"

He was somewhat startled by Washu's reply but he did want to have a child.

"You guys actually want to have a child?" Leeland asked.

"Well, yeah. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know" Leeland looks down at the table looking sad. "Sometimes I think I'm an only

child because my parents didn't want any more children. I know my parents love me but

sometimes I still feel unwanted. I really wanted another brother or sister"

"Hey now kiddo. It's natural to feel that way but I'm sure you're parents wanted to have you.

I mean look at the person you are. You seem stable, you're smart, and you have a lot of

friends. Those are tell-tale signs of good and loving parenting"

"You think so, Morien?"

"I do, Leeland"

"Thanks. I'll try to not have those thoughts. So why then do you two want to have a child?"

"Bringing life into the universe is the ultimate blessing. Plus you get to raise them to be

like you" Morien said with a light laugh.

Washu smiled and rubbed his thigh underneath the table.

"Not only that but I thought I had lost my son many years ago. Since then I have seen him

recently but I never got a chance to experience motherhood for what it was supposed to

be. I want another chance"

With her chopsticks, she begins to eat her salad.

"At least you've come full circle, Washu" Leeland said

Washu was about to pick up more of her salad when she stopped and looked at Leeland.

"What do you mean, Leeland?"

"Well, you lost your son you said. You never got to raise him but you did get to see him

again and I'm sure you keep in contact. It was not the way you planned it and I'm sure

you had different ideas but in the end, everything still worked out. You have your husband

there and your son. I'm sure it's brought about a level of happiness you haven't felt in

a long time"

Washu and Morien were both awestruck by Leeland's explanation.

"Leeland…you hit the nail right on the head. I never really thought of it that way" Washu said.

"Where did you learn to think that profoundly?" Morien asked

"TV"

"Really?"

Leeland laughs a bit.

"No. Actually my dad has a pretty big book collection. I would sneak into his bookshelf

often, curious as to what kind of books he had. One day he caught me but was very

happy I was engaging myself in reading books. I love war stories, learning about other

planets, and science fiction"

"That is really neat. I actually don't like reading which is ironic considering my career.

Say, what do you want to be when you get older?"

"Easy. I want to be an ace pilot for this ship. I love those Star Wars fighters that Tom

has provided for this ship. If I'm not gaming or reading, I'm at the hangar bay looking

at each spacecraft hoping that one day I will be in the cockpit"

"I'm very sure you'll make it" Morien tells him then turns towards Washu. "You know,

since the party, this is the longest I've gone without seeing anyone else in our group"

She gulps down more of her salad than speaks.

"I've tried contacting them but no answer"

A dark-haired man in a while lab coat walks into the cafeteria taking a look around. He

sets his sights on Leeland taking note of Morien and Washu who sat across from him.

"I guess this ship is so big that everyone is doing their own thing and no one has bumped

into each other" Morien says

"That's probably it. Well I'm just about ready to head back to our room" Washu said

finishing her salad.

Leeland looks behind him wondering what was taking Kanta and Junko so long. As he

looked, he spots the dark-haired man in the white lab coat that now made eye contact

with him then smiled.

"Dad?"

"Hey Leeland. I was wondering where you went. I see you made some new…friends"

"Hello, I'm Morien and this is my wife, Washu"

They both stand up and shake his hand.

"I'm Sirach, Leeland's father. You must be some of Leeland's gaming friends"

"We just met today, dad. They're really good too. After we got done everyone else left

and I got hungry so I just tagged along with them. I hope that was okay"

"Of course son"

"You have one very intelligent son, sir" Washu says

"Thanks. He sneaks into my book collection a lot. It was one of the few things I don't

mind him sneaking into" he says with a chuckle "Well son, you ready to go?"

"Yeah dad"

Leeland turns towards Morien and Washu.

"It was really nice meeting you guys! Tell Kanta and Junko I said goodbye and I hope to

game with them soon"

"Will do, kiddo!"

They both wave at each other then bid Sirach farewell. The father and son leave the

cafeteria leaving Morien and Washu behind.

"I hope our child turns out like him" Washu tells Morien

"Same. I'm tired, honey. What do you say we hit the bed"

"Oh I'm right there with you" she says with a more seductive tone in her voice.

At that moment Kanta and Junko come back.

"You guys are leaving?" Junko asked.

"Yeah. You guys took a while. And Leeland says bye and hopes to game again soon"

"Cool" Kanta says.

"We'll leave ya cool cats here. Take it easy"

Biding each other goodbye, Morien and Washu leave Kanta and Junko behind in the

cafeteria.

"Let's see if I can remember how to get back"

"I know how to get back, dear" Washu says

Taking his hand in hers, they both walk for several minutes, passing through several parts

of the ship, passing by many people and alien species. When they reach the hallway where

their room was, they see Sasami walking towards them.

"Sasami? It looks like you just woke up" Morien said

"I did. We all went to bed several hours ago"

"You did? Why?" he asked

"When we left, it was late afternoon so we all went to bed a few hours after we got our

rooms. We wanted to all go out and do something but then we realized how tired we were.

I'm sure the others will wake up soon. I take it you guys went on a tour of the ship"

"We did. Played some games, had alien food, and now we want to go to sleep" he said

"Ok. I'm going to have some breakfast. I'll see you guys later" she said then went on her way.

"This is totally going to throw off my sleep schedule" Morien said to Washu.

"You'll adjust" she replied

After entering the key code, Morien opens the door to their room. He looks at the bed which

looked very inviting. Pacing quickly towards it, he falls face first on to it, bouncing a bit before

coming to a stop. He turns over on top of the blue covers and looks at Washu who is looking

right back at him. A smile was on her lips.

"Are you really that tired?" she asks him.

"Kind of, yeah" he responds

"Well then, let me help you on your way"

She slowly walks over to him. Her eyes lock with his. Neither one looked away from each other.

Climbing on the bed she places both of her legs over his thighs. His facial expression was neutral

but she could feel the excitement. She unbuttons her top taking it off, leaving only a green bra

which looked amazing on her large bosoms. She pulls him up by his white shirt then takes it off.

They begin to kiss passionately for several moments before Morien works his hands onto her

back, undoing her bra-strap then throws the bra to the side still kissing her. Afterwards, he brings

her down onto the bed, laying Washu on her back then he switches spots pinning her down onto

the bed. She lets out a moan. Rather than doing anything else he looks at her, taking in Washu's

beauty in her almost natural state.

"How did I get this lucky?" he asks himself.

Washu puts her hand directly on his crotch getting him to sharpen his breath and open his

eyes wide.

"Tell you what, sexy. Let's do this first and then I know you will ask that question again" she tells him.

Her eyes read, 'have your way with me' all over them. He happily fulfilled her request and

his as they spent the next several hours love-making.

Sir, I think you need to see this.

Tom walked over to one of his officers who was pointing to a screen.

"There is a ship hovering above the Earth. I've never seen one like it before"

"Do you think it's Jurian?" Tom asks

"I'm not sure. What should we do, sir?"

Tom thought for a moment. He was not expecting any other vessels to be this close to Earth.

Even the Gray Wolf was closer to Mars than it was Earth. A ship like this could have been a

threat and Tom was not one to let something like this go.

"Assemble a flight crew and inspect the ship. Make sure they do not pose a threat to anyone"

"I'll go as well" Nagi requested

"You don't have to"

"I could use some excitement" she said getting a grin from Tom.

"Very well. Just be careful"

Nagi led a small group of fighters to the unknown ship above the Earth not knowing what to expect.

**End of Chapter 7**

**NOTE: Hello Fellow readers. Spring Break is now over so it may be a while before I write the next chapters. I will try to work as**

**quick as possible. Thanks for reading! **


End file.
